One of the Premier League’s greatest rivalries provides the headline act of the first weekend of the new season, as Manchester United welcome Arsenal to Old Trafford.
The 2024/25 campaign was nothing short of a disaster for Manchester United, who slumped to a scarcely believable 15th-placed finish – comfortably their lowest in the Premier League era – while also losing the UEFA Europa League final.
Head coach Ruben Amorim, who assumed control in November, retains the full backing of the board and that’s been reflected in a near £200 million overhaul of the Red Devils’ forward line, with Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Šeško all arriving this summer. A fast start could be crucial for Amorim’s future, yet nobody has a tougher opening five games than United according to Opta.
Arsenal may well prove the toughest of those fixtures, with the Gunners desperate to end their two-decade long wait for a Premier League title after three successive second-placed finishes. Many experts have laid the blame at their inability to get over the line on a lack of a natural striker, but Viktor Gyökeres’ arrival this summer could change all that.
He’ll hope to make Arsenal’s 100th successive top-flight campaign one to remember, and a statement win here would mark the perfect start, as well as their fourth successive victory on the opening weekend.
Nothing could separate these two heavyweights across three head to heads last season as United won one, drew one and lost one. The draw came at Old Trafford, where United have lost just two of the last 18 home Premier League meetings (W10, D6), though Arsenal have scored on all of their last 11 such visits to this ground.
