BT Sport pundit Michael Owen believes Arsenal will suffer a narrow defeat when they play Manchester United on Thursday night.
The Gunners head into the match off the back of a comfortable win against Newcastle, while the Red Devils secured a hard-fought draw versus Chelsea under caretaker coach Michael Carrick. Despite the recent upheavals at Old Trafford, Owen is still backing the home side to come out on top:
“For Arsenal, there’s definitely been improvement here, although to be honest, I do think they’re slightly behind Manchester United when you look at the sides pound-for-pound. With that in mind, I’m going for a home win for the Red Devils.”
Owen has gone for a 2-1 victory to United, which does seem a bit strange, considering the mess that the Manchester club is in at the moment. Carrick has steadied the ship since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s departure but they have hardly been convincing. With new interim boss Ralf Rangnick not expected to be on the touchline until the weekend, it’s difficult to know how much influence he will have on the team either.
For those reasons, Arsenal should have a good chance of getting a result, but Mikel Arteta’s side will have to play well.