Arsenal vs Manchester United. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats, and more

Arsenal FC will face Manchester United FC in the Club Friendly match at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood city, USA. The fixture will take place on Sunday, July 28, beginning at 05:30 IST.

Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

Arsenal News & Current Form:

In the coming weeks, European football giants will be in the United States for a series of high-profile friendly matches. However, these meetings are still classified as friendlies, so the teams are not expected to play at full intensity.

Arsenal continue their preparations for the new season, where they will once again attempt to fight for the long-awaited championship title. In the last two Premier League seasons, they have led the league table and had good chances to finish first, but Manchester City consistently outperformed them towards the end, relegating the Gunners to second place.

Under the leadership of Mikel Arteta, players have been making incremental improvements each season, securing more points each year. In the last campaign, they finished just two points behind the leaders, ending the campaign with a six-match winning streak, scoring 16 goals in the process.

During the off-season, Arsenal managed to retain all their key players who have now amassed significant experience, and thus, will make another concerted effort to secure the trophy. Their pre-season kicked off with a 2:1 victory in a friendly against AFC Bournemouth. The regulation time ended in a draw, leading to a penalty shootout where the Gunners prevailed. However, the result should not be overemphasised as the Spanish manager made ten substitutions during the match.

Next, the team will face Man in California. Four days later, they will play with Liverpool FC at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, marking their first-ever meeting in the USA. Returning to North London, the Gunners will play a friendly against Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Olympique Lyonnais at the Emirates Stadium as part of the Emirates FA Cup just six days before their EPL opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers FC on August 17.

It should be noted that many teams have given their main players a break after participating in the UEFA EURO 2024 or CONMEBOL Copa America, and some are representing their countries at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Consequently, in the upcoming match, Arsenal will be without Declan Rice, Aaron Ramsdale, Bukayo Saka, David Raya, and William Saliba. However, Gabriel Magalhães, Gabriel Martinelli, and Kai Havertz are expected to join the team before this match, so there is a chance they might feature against MU. Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu are sidelined with injuries, but Martin Ødegaard, Ben White, Gabriel Jesus, Jorginho, Jurrien Timber, Jakub Kiwior, and Oleksandr Zinchenko are expected to play.

As we know, the pre-season period is the perfect window for active transfers. Arsenal has yet to make any major signings, but goalkeeper Raya has signed a permanent contract with the club after being on loan last season. Londoners have also announced the signing of 18-year-old Tommy Setford, who previously played for the youth academy of AFC Ajax. The player, born in the Netherlands but holding English football citizenship and representing England’s U20 team, has signed a long-term contract. Setford is seen as a prospect at Arsenal and will initially play for the U21 team.

Additionally, Bologna FC 1909 defender Riccardo Calafiori is set to join the team soon. It is reported that both parties have reached a full agreement on the transfer after lengthy negotiations. The Italian will move to London for €50 million, signing a five-year contract with a salary of €3.5 million per year, plus €0.5 million in bonuses.

Tommy Setford has officially been unveiled as an Arsenal player

Furthermore, 21-year-old Ukrainian defender Illia Zabarnyi from Bournemouth might change clubs this summer. It is reported that Arsenal, in addition to Calafiori, are looking to sign another centre-back. The Gunners have seriously considered Zabarnyi’s transfer. The management of Cherries is open to negotiations but hopes to secure £40-45 million for the player. Last season, he played 42 matches across all competitions and scored one goal.

Moreover, Emile Smith Rowe will not feature in the upcoming match as he is moving from the Emirates: Fulham FC are in the process of finalising a £35 million deal.

Manchester United News & Current Form: 

Man United endured another disappointing season. The previous year, despite a weak start to the league, their struggles could be attributed to the debut of Erik ten Hag in the Premier League. By spring, they managed to find good form and secure a spot in the UEFA Champions League zone. In the Dutch manager’s second year, there was no visible progress: they finished only eighth in the league table. Moreover, the Red Devils ended the season with a negative goal difference.

French football prodigy Leny Yoro has joined Manchester United, taking the number 15 jersey

However, United did not miss out on European competitions entirely, as they won the FA Cup by defeating City, securing their place in the UEFA Europa League. This victory allowed the head coach to retain his position. During the off-season, MU already strengthened their squad by signing a couple of players. This summer, they played two friendlies: losing to Rosenborg BK from Norway with a score of 0:1 and beating Rangers FC (2:0).

In the game against the Scots, United’s forward Amad Diallo scored in the 39th minute, assisted by midfielder Mason Mount. In the 70th minute, the Devils scored a second goal through substitute players: forward Joe Hugill netted from a Maximilian Oyedele assist. Ten Hag’s side, even with an experimental lineup, demonstrated excellent play in this match.

Talking about transfers, it’s worth mentioning the acquisition of Leny Yoro, considered one of the most promising young talents globally. The footballer signed a contract with the Red Devils until 2029, with the transfer fee costing the English club €62 million.

“I know about the history of young players at Manchester United and feel that this is the perfect place to realise my potential and ambitions,”

Yoro commented on his move. The defender chose the number 15 jersey in his new team, a number previously worn by Sergio Reguilón, Marcel Sabitzer, Andreas Pereira, Adnan Januzaj, and Nemanja Vidić.

Last season, the French player appeared in 44 matches for Lille OSC across all competitions, scoring three goals. He also participated in one match for France’s U23 national team. Real Madrid CF had previously shown interest in the player, but the Reds offered more money.

Additionally, United officially announced the signing of 23-year-old Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee from Italian club Bologna, with a contract running until the summer of 2029. Reportedly, the Devils paid over €40 million for the player’s transfer. In the 2023/24 season, he played 37 matches at club level, scoring 12 goals and providing seven assists. Joshua helped Bologna achieve an unexpected fifth place in the Italian league and qualify for the UCL for the first time in the club’s history.

After signing the contract, Joshua Zirkzee stated,

“Having spoken with the coach and the club’s management, I know how exciting the future will be, and I can’t wait to contribute to Manchester United’s success. I’m a player who has always dedicated everything to winning. I’m ready for the next challenge to take my career to the next level and win more trophies. It’s a great honour for me to join such an iconic club. I need a short break after playing for the national team, but I’ll be back, ready to make an immediate impact.”

Notably, controversial forward Jadon Sancho will join the club’s tour in the USA despite his disagreements with coach ten Hag. It was previously reported that the Englishman and the Dutchman reconciled, but uncertainty about the player’s future remains.

Arsenal form guide: W-W-W-W-W-W

Manchester United form guide: L-W-W-W-L-W

Arsenal vs Manchester United Head-To-Head Record:

• January 22, 2023: Arsenal 3 – 2 Manchester United (Premier League);
• September 3, 2023: Arsenal 3 – 1 Manchester United (Premier League);
• May 12, 2024: Manchester United 0 – 1 Arsenal (Premier League).

Arsenal vs Manchester United Predicted XI:

Arsenal’s possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Hein; White, Timber, Kiwior, Zinchenko; Thomas, Jorginho, Odegaard; Viera, Jesus, Trossard.

Manchester United’s possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Yoro, Evans, Amass; Casemiro, McTominay, Mount; Amad, Hojlund, Rashford.

Statistical preview of the match Arsenal vs Manchester United:

• Arsenal’s First XI average age is 22.9 years, and MU’s First XI average age is 24.9 years.
• The total value of the Gunners’ squad is 1.15 bln euros, while the total of United comes up to 818 mln euros.
• Manchester United have lost to the Londoners in their last 2 head-to-head matches.
• Arsenal have not lost in their last 7 matches.
• Five of the last seven head-to-head meetings between Arsenal and Manchester United have seen goals exchanged. 
• Arsenal have scored at least two goals in six of their last seven matches. 
• Devils scored at least 2 goals in 4 of the last 5 confrontations in different competitions.
• Arsenal have won 6 of their last 7 matches in different competitions
• Londoners have got 4 victories in their last 5 matches. In them, the team has scored 10 goals with 4 goals conceded.
• In their last 5 matches, MU have managed 4 wins. In these matches, players of the club have scored 9 goals with 4 goals conceded.

What has been said before the match:

Gaffer of the Gunners Mikel Arteta about the first played friendly, pleasant surprise from youngsters and the areas to improve:

“I’m very pleased to be fair. We have a very different context today with so many young players, most of them making their debuts for us so I’m really pleased to see them. Just looking at their faces, and the energy that they had before the game, understanding that they were going to be involved.”

“The senior players had a good game, it was a really competitive match as we expected against Bournemouth. They are a little bit ahead of us in terms of the time they had to prepare but it was a good competitive match with a lot of things to take forward.”

“The youngsters have impressed us in a really positive way, that’s the thing. It’s not easy to come up to the level and the standards that we are putting ourselves into right now, and they’re really getting there, very close. They’re a joy to work with every day.”

“A lot of players have been linked with potential moves; one way or the other, it’s normal. We are in that moment in the market. What I really like are the players that we have, with the level that they are showing and especially the commitment that you can see in those two, just the way they have performed.”

“This season we want to grow in a lot of areas, we want to improve in every area in the attacking and defending metrics, restarts, and set-pieces with the number of minutes that we shared around the team. I think that’s an area that we can still improve in, and having a bit more variability and versatility in certain moments with players that we have.”

Arsenal vs Manchester United Prediction:

Since December 2021, five of the six head-to-head meetings between Arsenal and Manchester United in the EPL have seen three goals or more scored. The English grandees will show their attacking prowess in the United States. 

Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Arsenal will win and the match total will be over 3.5 – Yes.

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