"It will be close" - Chris Sutton predicts winner of Manchester United vs Arsenal

BBC commentator and former Premier League forward Chris Sutton has given his prediction for the outcome of the clash between Manchester United and Arsenal.

The Premier League rivals will face each other on Sunday (September 4_ in gameweek 6. Both teams are in good form - with United winning their last three games, while the Gunners have won all five to top the standings.

Considering the same, Sutton wrote in his column for BBC that the game result is difficult to predict, saying:

"This feels impossible to predict. Manchester United have won their past three games, and Arsenal have started superbly."

He took note of the injury concerns surrounding Arsenal, saying:

"Martin Odegaard went off injured in the 2-1 win against Aston Villa, and he is a big player for them. Arsenal were far too good for Villa, and if anything is lacking, they were not quite ruthless enough, but Gabriel Jesus is big trouble for any defenders. He hassles and presses and has great quality."

Despite predicting Arsenal to get a 2-1 win, Sutton opted to go with his daughter, who thinks the Gunners could win 3-2.

"It will be close. I like what Erik ten Hag has done in such a short space of time at Manchester United, but I am going to jump on the Arsenal bandwagon. I've said 2-1 to the Gunners, but my daughter said 3-2, and she wears the trousers, so 3-2 it is."

How have Manchester United and Arsenal fared in Premier League this season?

Arsenal have won all five league games this season and lead holders Manchester City by two points. They beat Crystal Palace 2-0- on the opening day before dispatching Leicester City 4-2.

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The Gunners then beat Bournemouth 3-0 before eking out narrow 2-1 wins over Fulham and Aston Villa to maintain their perfect start to the season.

Manchester United, meanwhile, made a terrible start to the new season, losing 2-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion at home. They followed that up with a disastrous 4-0 hammering at Brentford, which sunk them to the foot of the standings. That marked their worst start to a league campaign in 101 years.

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Erik ten Hag's men showed resilience and resurgence in their 2-1 win over mighty Liverpool. Since then, United have registered 1-0 wins over Southampton and Leicester City to climb up to fifth in the standings.

About the author

Diptanil is a European football journalist and sports editor at Sportskeeda. He completed his Master’s in Sports Management from Coventry University and has a total work experience of 7 years. A true expert of the beautiful game, Diptanil also studies the sport from the data analytics perspective.

Diptanil focuses on in-depth research, objective writing, and cultural sensitivity when creating content, and always strives to give his readers something new to take away from each of his articles. His ability to streamline information and let it reach a natural conclusion as opposed to telling a story with a pre-fixed narrative sets him apart from other journalists.

He became a fan of Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea after their record-breaking 2004-05 season and their 2008-09 Champions League semifinal defeat was a bittersweet learning experience for him. Diptanil’s favorite player is Frank Lampard who is known for his hard work and dedication as a football professional. He loves how his favorite manager Carlo Ancelotti strikes a fine balance in keeping the game both player-oriented and data-driven.

Outside of Europe's top five leagues, Diptanil follows Liga Portugal, the Indian Super League, and Saudi Pro League. His other interests include doing charity work, watching period dramas, and world politics.

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Edited by Bhargav