Arsenal vs Manchester United
Emirates Stadium, London, England
11:30AM EST | NBC

We’re in for another treat this upcoming Sunday as Arsenal faces-off against Premier League rival Manchester United!  This feels like the dawning of a new era within this rivalry.  Gone are the days of Thierry Henry scoring under the bright lights of London whilst Wayne Rooney rumbled his way towards goal in front of the Stretford End.  Or, seeing legendary managers in Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger toeing the sidelines at Old Trafford and the Emirates respectively. Nope, instead in the here and now, we have the likes of Martin Odegaard playing in passes to Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah, and Gabriel Martinelli in North London.  Meanwhile up in Manchester, Marcus Rashford is terrorizing defenses with his blistering pace and clinical finishing.  And all the while, these teams are led by talented, forwarding thinking managers in Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta and Man U’s Erik ten Hag. 

Therefore, it’s no wonder that we enter the second half of the Premier League season with these two prestigious clubs atop the table.  United are riding a ten match unbeaten streak whilst Arsenal has been performing like a well-oiled machine, winning 15 out of 18 games.  As a result, Arsenal has finally earned the backing of the bookies to win the league title, whilst Man U has the third best odds to hoist the PL trophy.

LSB Prediction

Sunday will be a feisty affair straight from the kickoff, and when a match gets physical, I like my chances with a midfield that features Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaxa in it.  These are two stalwarts in the middle of the park, who are eager to win the ball back by out muscling their opponents.  They’ll make life difficult for Bruno Fernandes, thus the Portuguese attacking mid will struggle to keep hold of the ball, and in effect, limit the Red Devils quick counter striking approach.  In the end, Rashford will capitalize on a rare chance, but the Gunners will have the bulk of possession and more chances created.  In turn, this will lead to Martin Odegaard and his Arsenal attack producing enough to win the match at home.

Arsenal 2 - 1 Manchester United