Arsenal vs Sheffield United: Match preview and betting odds

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Arsenal will be looking to get back to winning ways when they entertain Sheffield United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Mikel Arteta got his first win on the board since being unveiled as Unai Emery’s permanent replacement with an impressive 2-0 win over Manchester United before following it up with a hard fought 1-0 win over Leeds in the FA Cup.

However, the Gunners blew a 1-goal lead to draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last weekend with star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sent off for a lunge on Max Meyer midway through the second half.

That result has left Arsenal sitting 10th in the Premier League table and 11 points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea so Arteta knows he can’t afford any more slip-ups if the north Londoners are to stand a chance of closing the gap on the top four.

It won’t be an easy game on Saturday though as Arsenal take on a Sheffield United side that are flying high in the league right now with the Blades sitting sixth – four points above the Gunners – after beating West Ham last time out.

Team news

Arsenal will be without Aubameyang as he starts a three-game suspension so Gabriel Martinelli should come back into the side to support Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe in attack.

Calum Chambers has been ruled out for up to nine months with a knee ligament injury while Kieran Tierney is still out following shoulder surgery. Lucas Torreira will also be assessed after picking up a muscle injury at Palace and Hector Bellerin will require a late fitness test on an on-going hamstring problem.

Sheffield United have no fresh injury concerns to worry about so manager Chris Wilder will only be without long-term absentees Simon Moore and Michael Verrips.

Betting odds

According to the odds at chinese portal asiabet8888, Arsenal are the 20/23 favourites to win the game on Saturday – which is very generous odds considering the Gunners are on home soil. Sheffield United can be backed at 17/5 while the draw is available at odds of 11/4.

Obviously Arsenal will miss Aubameyang as he’s scored almost half of their goals this season but the Londoners still have plenty of players who can step up and provide a goal threat. However, United won the reverse fixture 1-0 at Bramall Lane and the visitors have the joint second-best defensive record in the division having conceded just 21 goals.

Therefore, I’m not expecting this to be a goal-fest and it could be a frustrating afternoon for Arsenal against a tough Sheffield United side. However, in the end, I expect the Gunners to wear them down and snatch a winner so my prediction is 1-0 Arsenal which can be backed at odds of 6/1.

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