Prediction and odds for the game: Manchester United (19/20) vs Arsenal (11/4)

We are backing the draw at odds of 11/4

When: Thursday 2 December 2021, Kick-off 20:15

Where: Old Trafford

On Thursday night, Manchester United and Arsenal go head-to-head at Old Trafford, in the first game since Ralf Rangnick’s appointment as the interim United head coach.

Manchester United

The Red Devils installed Rangnick as their new interim head coach on Monday. There are doubts over whether the German will be in charge of United for this game, as he is still waiting for documentation to be processed. If he is not, then Michael Carrick will continue in his temporary role.

The former England midfielder has done a solid job in his two games in charge, recording a win at Villarreal in the Champions League then picking up a highly respectable 1-1 draw at league leaders Chelsea at the weekend.

The results have certainly been better since the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as head coach. The men from Manchester have looked far harder to beat in both games.

United certainly needed a turnaround in fortunes, as they head into this game on the back of just one win in their previous eight outings in the Premier League. That run includes five defeats, which has seen the Red Devils drop to eighth-place in the table.

Arsenal

The Gunners will head to Manchester in confident mood after a good recent run of results in the Premier League. A 2-0 win over Newcastle at the Emirates Stadium last time out was their fifth victory in six league matches. The stellar run of league form has Arsenal on the brink of the Champions League spots. In fact, Mikel Arteta’s team are only outside the league’s top-four courtesy of fourth-place West Ham’s superior goal difference.

The Gunners have a good recent defensive record in the English top-flight, keeping clean sheets in three of their last four outings in the Premier League. However, the team from north London did concede four goals at Liverpool, but most teams struggle defensively against Jurgen Klopp’s team.

Arsenal’s recent away record in the Premier League could not be more inconsistent, as the Gunners have won two, lost two and drawn one of their previous five league games on their travels. Before the 4-0 hammering at Liverpool, Arteta’s team had kept three straight clean sheets away from home in the Premier League.

Conclusion

Manchester United’s improvement in recent games is certainly noticeable, while Arsenal have produced inconsistent recent results on their travels. As this could be a slight game of unknowns, we are backing the draw. Recent matches between these two teams have been close affairs, with the last five meetings between the pair producing under 2.5 goals. That is the other bet we are backing in this one.

Our Tips: We are backing the draw at odds of 11/4 and/or under 2.5 goals scored at odds of 11/10. (All odds are taken from Bet365).

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Will Manchester United pick up another positive result or will Arsenal boost their top-four hopes with a win at Old Trafford?