FA Cup, 3rd round, Sunday, 12/01/2025 at 4:00 PM
A weekend without the Premier League? No problem, on the island they have 20 cup competitions for that! This time it’s the turn of the FA Cup, the oldest cup competition in the world! And while in some places two lower-league teams play against each other, we get to see a real cracker in the capital.
The Gunners host the Red Devils in the 216th meeting between the two clubs. An easy prediction based on the league results? I’ll put it this way: there are good reasons, which I will mention in my Arsenal Manchester United tip, that support the “BTS”!
At the same time, it’s worth taking a look at all the sports betting bonus offers that our betting providers have in store for you this month.
It can only get better in this new year of 2025! Manchester United is currently taking on everything that sounds positive. The Red Devils are in the lower midfield of the Premier League, but they actually want to be in the premier class.
Well, this new year started a few days ago with a trip to Anfield, of all places. Admittedly, I had feared the worst here. But United pulled themselves together, fought hard and got a 2-2 draw, celebrating it like a win.
Six wins in 20 rounds, of course no one is satisfied with this record. So it could be quite good to be able to immerse yourself in a new competition now. Especially since the FA Cup is just beginning for the top teams.
They could have drawn an opponent from the third or maybe even fourth division, but no: for the Red Devils it’s straight to Arsenal! They only just conceded a 2-0 defeat here at the beginning of December.
Eliminated in the third round, it wouldn’t be a disgrace this time, given the opponent. But as the defending champions, Manchester naturally want to go far, having secured the trophy a few months ago with a 2-1 win over Manchester City.
Can I see many early exits in the history of the competition in recent years? The last time they lost in the current third round was in 2013/14, when Swansea City were responsible for it with a 2-1 win.
But in four of the last six appearances, the Red Devils reached at least the last eight, and that’s exactly what they want to build on this season. Favorite opponent Arsenal? That would be helpful, but unfortunately it’s not the case.
They have lost five of their last six meetings and have only won two of their last 12. Their last victory at the Emirates Stadium was in 2019, but there could be a good omen here!
That win not only came in the month of January, but also in the current competition, the FA Cup. United won that game 3-1, with goals coming from Anthony Martial, Alexis Sanchez and Jesse Lingard.
So the Gunners fans will know that the FA Cup and Manchester United are not a combination we have had in our most recent attempt. But their team is the favorite with odds of 1.68 to 5.20.
And that despite the fact that the Londoners lost to Newcastle a few days ago. They didn’t convince in the league, but they did in the EFL Cup (semi-final, first leg). That’s different in the Premier League at the moment.
The recent 1-1 draw against Brighton was not celebrated euphorically, but with only two defeats and a second place, they are still playing quite well. Most importantly, they have not yet lost at home.
1-0 against Ipswich, 0-0 against Everton, 2-0 against Manchester United and 3-0 against Nottingham? No question about it, there is currently nothing to criticize about the defense. At least in the league, because, as mentioned, there was no sign of the strong home form in the EFL Cup.
Arsenal will have to do without Bukayo Saka for a while yet, which of course really hurts. Added to that, the FA Cup has not exactly been a competition the team has thrived in for a few years.
They won the cup in 2020, but since then they have only made it to the fourth round at the latest! They have also been knocked out in the third round twice, but with Liverpool and Nottingham, the opponents were strong enough not to count it as a disgrace.
Can Manchester United make you forget the dreariness in another competition? Admittedly, one game is not enough for that, but it would be a good start. At least a slight cheer could be heard after the recent 2-2 draw against Liverpool.
Arsenal are very strong at home in the league, but they didn’t look it in the EFL Cup. Besides, as I could see in my analysis, the Gunners don’t particularly like the FA Cup at the moment.
Therefore, I think the visitors from Manchester will do well on Sunday. Since United’s last away win against Arsenal was in exactly this competition, my tip is:
Both teams will score!
