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Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes. PA Images/Alamy Images

Premier League Game of the Week: Will Man United finally play a part in a title race?

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated 5/9/24

If you watched Premier League soccer in the 1990s and 2000s, you knew that one game in particular was appointment viewing: Arsenal vs. Man United. The two teams had a lot in common — alternating dominant eras, long-standing intellectual coaches — and they hated each other. When Arsenal went on an unprecedented unbeaten run in 2003-04, it was Man United who ended it. When Man United tried to do the same in 2006, it was Arsenal who called its bluff.

All that fire fizzled out in the 2010s. Arsenal and Man United lost their talismanic coaches and tumbled down the Premier League rankings thanks to the arrival of newly-rich Man City and Chelsea. Arsenal fell harder but it picked itself back up; United hung in there for a while but plummeted in 2022.

These days, Arsenal and Man United's rivalry feels positively retro. The two sides haven't truly hated each other since Robin van Persie left Arsenal for United and beat them with a solo goal in 2013. But this weekend just might change all that. This weekend might rekindle the Arsenal-Man United fire in a big way.

To win the 2023-24 Premier League title, Arsenal has to win both of its remaining games. With all due respect to Everton, the team Arsenal will play on the final day of the season, this United match is the far more difficult prospect of the two. Winning both games may not be enough —Arsenal also has to hope for City to drop points — but it's the bare minimum.

Man United hasn't been involved in the Premier League title race at all this season, but if it beats Arsenal this weekend, it will decide it. That's a tantalizing prospect. Can United finally insert itself in the title race and make this fixture a headlining prospect once again? Or will Arsenal prove too much for the exhausted Red Devils?

We'll find out on Sunday, May 12, at 11:30 a.m. ET. Here are the bets we're eyeing as these teams finally come together:

Result. United's performances have been abysmal recently; that 4-0 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace on Monday was one of the worst shifts the team has but in all season. But history stands with United when it comes to games against Arsenal at home: it's only lost one of its last 16 in the Premier League. While Arsenal is clearly the stronger side on paper, bettors might want to opt for chaos and back a draw at +475. Looking for a slightly broader hedge? Try a draw or a United win at +175.

Goals. While United tends to beat Arsenal at Old Trafford, Arsenal tends to score at Old Trafford, making these games ultra-competitive to the last minute. We'd recommend upping your result bet with a "both sides to score" kicker to reflect this; in our case, that'd be a scored draw at +500.

Goal scorer. We're due for a screamer from Martin Odegaard, aren't we? The Arsenal midfielder hasn't found the back of the net in the league since the end of April. We like him as an anytime goal scorer at +150, but we really like him as an outside-the-box goal scorer at +450.

When it comes to Man United, we've only got eyes for Bruno Fernandes. The long-suffering Portuguese midfielder has been one of United's few world-class players this season and he's still got some fight left in him. We like him as an anytime goal scorer at +400.