Arsenal face Manchester United this weekend in a game that is huge in their bid for the Premier League title.
The Gunners are clear at the top of the table right now, but they have a number of tough games coming up that will undoubtedly define their season.
This game at the Emirates against United will be huge. After all, the Red Devils are the only team that have managed to beat Arsenal this season, and a win here would, once again, show that Arsenal have what it takes to go all the way this year.
Chris Sutton has now given his prediction for the game when writing in his predictions column for BBC Sport.
Sutton predicts Arsenal vs Manchester United
The pundit predicted a 3-1 win for Arsenal, despite saying he has a sneaky feeling about Man United.
“I always have a sneaky feeling for Manchester United in games like this, with Marcus Rashford so good on the counter-attack and Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen having the eye for the pass that would put him through,” Sutton said.
“On the flip side, I just wonder how much Wednesday’s draw against Palace will have taken out of Erik ten Hag’s side, who will be missing the suspended Casemiro in midfield too.
“As I said on the Monday Night Club on Radio 5 Live, United’s biggest issue at present is managing expectation, because after winning nine games in a row some of their fans started to think they are title contenders again.
“Yes, they have found some consistency with their performance levels but it is Arsenal who have set the standard this season, with 15 wins and only one defeat in their first 18 league games.
“This will be a great game to watch because of United’s threat on the break, but Arsenal are at home and they are playing like they believe they can beat anyone at the moment.”
Arsenal are favourites
As Sutton says, the Gunners have been excellent this season, and given that this game is at the Emirates, you have to make Mikel Arteta’s side favourites for this one.
Yes, United beat Arsenal earlier this season, but they rode their luck in that game, and a repeat performance here would likely result in a win for the north London club.
Of course, football isn’t played on paper and anything can happen, but most people trying to predict this game would likely go for an Arsenal win.
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