Man United vs Arsenal talkSPORT tips – Best bets and expert advice

The standout fixture on the opening weekend of the 2025/26 Premier League season comes from Old Trafford where traditional rivals Manchester United and Arsenal lock horns.

All eyes will be on both teams’ attacking additions with Red Devils’ manager Ruben Amorim set to hand debuts to Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, while Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will surely deploy Viktor Gyokeres at some stage even if the Swede does not start.

The clash will take place on Sunday afternoon and kicks off in front of the Sky Sports cameras at 16:30 BST.

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Manchester United vs Arsenal betting tips

• Arsenal to win & both teams to score @ 14/5
• Declan Rice anytime goalscorer @ 6/1
• Luke Shaw to be shown a card @ 15/8

Gunners set to prevail in battle of old rivals

There is renewed optimism around Old Trafford following the signing of a brand-new front three, but, on the evidence of last season’s performances, Arsenal fully deserve their status as favourites.

Arteta’s men ended the campaign 10 points adrift of runaway champions Liverpool, but they had their share of bad luck with injuries, with key performers including Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard forced to miss significant chunks of the season.

With a cleaner bill of health and the acquisition of Gyokeres, plus Spanish midfield maestro Martin Zubimendi, it’s not hard to see the Gunners going closer this time around.

A United title bid looks a lot more remote, and while Amorim has beefed up a misfiring attack, question marks remain over the defence and a lack of solidity in the midfield, which could be exposed easily by a team as well-drilled as Arsenal.

Amorim looks set on a more gung-ho approach, but that has to come at the expense of solid defence, and they could be picked off by the Gunners’ fluid forward line on more than one occasion. 

Expect Arsenal to claim three points in an entertaining contest.

Rice should be given licence to get forward

Declan Rice was on the mark in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in March, and with Zubimendi adding extra protection in front of the backline, there could be more scope for the Arsenal midfielder to get forward this season.

Rice scored four Premier League goals in 2024/25, which is far from groundbreaking, but two of them came in his last three appearances, while he also sparkled with a memorable free-kick double in the 3-0 Champions League win over Real Madrid in April.

United man looks a sure-fire card candidate

Only one card was shown when these teams clashed in their most recent Premier League meeting, but tempers flared when United triumphed on penalties in the FA Cup in January, and Luke Shaw looks an obvious candidate to fall foul of Simon Hooper’s whistle at some stage.

Likely to be deployed on the left side of Amorim’s back three, Shaw will be tasked with picking up his England teammate Saka, a match-up in which the Arsenal man is expected to have the edge.

Shaw was only booked once in last season’s injury-hit campaign, but he saw yellow six times in just 12 matches in the 2023/24 Premier League season.

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