The in-play guide to Arsenal vs Man Utd
Is there a title race? All will become clearer on Sunday afternoon as Chelsea put their faith in London rivals Arsenal tripping up leaders Manchester United. Here are three ways to try to make money as the action unfolds...
Manchester United are more vulnerable after scoring first...
Let's kick-off with a statistic that those that have witnessed Arsenal surrender points from winning positions against the likes of Newcastle and Tottenham recently will find hard to believe - the Gunners have averaged more points in games they have scored first in than Manchester United, winning 16 of their 20 and losing just one, whereas the Premier League leaders have been defeated twice in the 23 that they have broken the deadlock in, failing to win five times.
...and aren't as strong after the break
Manchester United have plenty of experience of assuming early leads as the strongest first-half performers in the division but aren't as good after the interval, outscoring the opposition in the final 45 in just 14 of their 34 Premier League fixtures. It's also notable that they haven't "won" a second half away to another top-half side, losing by an aggregate score of 2-0 on their trips to Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham. A half-time punt on Arsenal striking next therefore looks shrewd.
Late drama is unlikely
This could well prove the perfect encounter for punters opt like to bet big at low prices to make their money as the last seven clashes between Arsenal and Manchester United haven't featured a goal scored later than the 80th minute, while there has only been one in the last ten collisions, and that was a consolation rather than an outcome-changing goal. So if you've backed under 2.5 goals and two have already been registered for example, you should be safe without trading out.
Click here for a pre-match punt, or to suss out how the markets are shaping up...
Published: 28 Apr 2011
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