The 2025 - 2026 Man United - Arsenal match at 10:30 p.m. on August 17 is an opportunity for fans to witness the competition between the two teams' renewed attack lines.
Leading the "Red Devils" since the second half of last season, coach Ruben Amorim and his students finished the Premier League with the worst result since the team was relegated in 1974: 42 points and 15th place. With the additional defeat against Tottenham in the Europa League final, Man United was absent from European cups for the first time in 10 years.
Arsenal hope new striker Viktor Gyökeres will help them keep their Premier League title hopes alive after three consecutive runners-up finishes (Photo: AP)
However, not losing strength in the European arena can help Mr. Amorim and his team focus on regaining their reputation in the Premier League. Realizing the weakness in the attack last season (scoring only 42 goals), the Portuguese coach brought in 3 talented and potential strikers at the same time, including Bryan Mbuemo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko.
Mbuemo and Cunha have been outstanding for Brentford and Wolverhampton respectively, while Sesko is highly rated at Leipzig. It remains to be seen whether Amorim will start all three when the team needs three points against Arsenal to build momentum for the new season.
Arsenal have finished second in the last 3 seasons, so coach M. Arteta must strengthen his attack with striker Viktor Gyökeres and winger Noni Madueke to make a breakthrough in the championship race. The Spanish coach also thickens the midfield with compatriot midfielder M. Zubimendi.
Gyökeres is very familiar with coach Amorim, having played together for Sporting Lisbon. The Swedish star has scored 68 goals in the Portuguese Championship in the last two seasons, averaging 1.07 goals per game. Despite his good physique - 1.89 m tall, 94 kg - the 27-year-old striker has only scored 2 of those 68 goals with his head, while the number of goals with his right foot is 57.
Therefore, Man United's defense and goalkeeper Onana must be wary of Arsenal's most interesting rookie. The defense of the Old Trafford team has not created peace of mind while the defense of the away team is quite solid. The stability of goalkeeper D. Raya and the defenders has helped the "gunners" remain unbeaten away from home in the last 14 rounds of the Premier League, with 7 wins and 7 draws.
Man United have only lost 2 of their last 18 Premier League games against Arsenal, but both defeats came when Arteta was in charge of the Gunners - in November 2020 and May 2024. In their last 11 Premier League visits to Old Trafford, Arsenal have scored 14 goals. With Gyökeres on the bench, Gunners fans believe their favourite team will continue to score against Onana, perhaps even coming away with 3 points.
Arsenal fans' confidence grew even stronger when the supercomputer Opta predicted the away team's winning rate on the night of August 17 to be 45.1% compared to Man United's 29.5%!
The Chelsea - Crystal Palace match at 8pm is also worth noting as experts expect the Stamford Bridge team to prove their strength as one of the candidates for the championship this season.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/hap-dan-man-so-tai-giua-man-united-va-arsenal-196250816192004662.htm
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