Manchester United vs. Arsenal Prediction: Old Rivals Renew Hostilities

• Manchester United are enduring the worst season in their recent history

• Arsenal still have something to play for despite title disappointment

• Who will come out on top when these two teams meet at Old Trafford?

Manchester United vs. Arsenal Odds

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Manchester United vs. Arsenal Pick

Back Arsenal to beat Manchester United on Sunday. The Gunners have their injury problems, but they are a much superior side to United right now.

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Manchester United Waiting for End of Premier League Season

Manchester United have never been further away from a first Premier League title in the post-Alex Ferguson era. Last season they finished eighth, their lowest placing since England’s top flight was rebranded in 1992. Yet that was not the nadir. After 27 rounds of fixtures this term, United are 14th - closer to the relegation zone than the top five.

After his appointment in November, Ruben Amorim made it clear that he would not deviate from his favored 3-4-3 formation even if it took a while for his players to cotton on. His logic made sense. As Amorim himself explained, United hired him for his idea so it would not make any sense for him to start playing someone else’s soccer.

Since then, the calls for Amorim to adapt have only grown louder. United have gone backwards on his watch and a bottom-half finish in the Premier League is now a genuine possibility. They are out of the FA Cup too, while it looks like it will be increasingly tough for United to win the Europa League. In short, this looks set to be their worst season for decades, at least since Ferguson’s early years in Manchester.

You cannot help but feel that most people associated with the club would not mind it one bit if the Premier League season was brought to a premature end. Amorim must be careful, though. United will not be relegated, but his reputation would be tarnished if United went on to finish 17th. A strong end to the season, conversely, would restore some of his credibility ahead of a pivotal summer.

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Title Has Gone but Arsenal Have a Chance in Champions League

It is funny how quickly the narrative can change. Up until now, the predominant emotion experienced by Arsenal fans this season has been frustration. After twice finishing as runners-up to Manchester City in the Premier League, the Gunners appeared to be in pole position to benefit from City’s slump this term. Instead, Liverpool are the champions-elect.

There is now very little chance that Arsenal will end their 21-year wait for a Premier League title in 2024/25. The gap between them and Liverpool stands at 13 points, and although Arsenal have a game in hand on the leaders, there is not enough time left to overturn that sort of deficit. 

As such, Mikel Arteta’s men look set to become only the second team in Premier League history to finish second in three straight seasons. The first? Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal between 1999 and 2001. Always the bridesmaids, indeed.

But wait. Arsenal’s campaign is not over yet. A 7-1 demolition of PSV on Tuesday means they already have one foot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The sportsbooks reckon Barcelona, Real Madrid and Liverpool are all better positioned to win the tournament than Arsenal, but the north Londoners should not be ruled out.

There is still a long way to go, of course, and Arsenal are more likely to fall short than go all the way, but a first ever Champions League triumph would instantly make this one of the greatest seasons in the club’s history. The fact the Gunners are on the verge of the last eight has certainly lifted some of the doom and gloom that had descended on the Emirates Stadium.

They cannot afford to take their eye off the Premier League ball, though. Arsenal have a healthy 10-point buffer in the race for Champions League qualification, but they would be disappointed to vacate second spot.

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Arsenal Can Assert Their Superiority Against Amorim’s Side

Old Trafford has become the ‘Theater of Nightmares’ for Manchester United this term. The only two teams they have beaten at home in the Premier League since December 1 are Southampton and Ipswich Town, two of the bottom three. Overall this season, United rank 12th in the home table having lost seven times in front of their own supporters already.

There is a good chance they will move on to eight home defeats this weekend. Arsenal will have taken huge confidence from their 7-1 thrashing of PSV last time out. Before that, there were legitimate concerns about Arsenal’s attack without the injured Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz. The Gunners showed on Tuesday that they can still score goals.

Some will dismiss the quality of their opponents and it is true that PSV have been poor since the turn of the year, but they are still in better shape than this United team. Another advantage Arsenal have is at the back, where their rock-solid defense should have little trouble keeping out United’s lackluster offense.

“It’s obviously given us a lot of joy and confidence and belief,” Arteta said after the PSV game. “In football, it’s not what we did three days ago or today, it’s going to be what we do tomorrow. We go to Old Trafford; how we behave, how we play and are we able to win a game.”

We fancy Arsenal to do just that on Sunday.

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How to Watch Manchester United vs. Arsenal

• Teams: Manchester United vs. Arsenal

• Location: Old Trafford, Manchester, England

• Date and Time: Sunday, 9 March 2025, 11.30 PM ET 

• How to Watch: NBC Sports