Arsenal will start their Premier League campaign with a tricky trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United – a fixture steeped in history.
The clash was arguably made famous by Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger’s rivalry, two managers who had some famous spats.
And whilst Arsenal coming up against Man United might have a different complexion today, it’s still a standout game when the fixture list rolls in.
That being said, Viktor Gyokeres is likely to make his competitive Arsenal debut in the match, whether it’s from the bench or as a starter.
And there’s similar intrigue to see if Manchester United’s new striker Benjamin Sesko will be wearing his #30 shirt on the pitch at kick off – who is yet to play any football under Ruben Amorim.
Arsenal wanted to buy Sesko themselves earlier this summer, but the striker has ultimately opted to join Amorim’s project.
That being said, former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott has now shared his prediction for Sunday’s later kick off.
Speaking on the ‘It’s Called Soccer!’ podcast, Walcott spoke at length about the fixture, one he often played in as a player.
In 15 league games against United for Arsenal, Walcott only won three times – a remarkable statistic, especially when considering a lot of those games were post-Ferguson.
But when it came to modern day Arsenal, Walcott was convinced that Mikel Arteta’s side would have enough to steal three points from Old Trafford on the opening weekend.
Sharing his prediction, Walcott said: “I will go for a 1-0 win for Arsenal and I’m going for a Martinelli goal.
“I think they’re going to expose United [with a] domination of having the ball and I just think it’ll be a break goal and Arsenal’s defence [will be] pretty solid.”
Of course if that scoreline was offered to Arteta right now, the Arsenal boss would certainly not say no.
Although, the former Manchester City coach might be confident of achieving a positive result against United either way – he’s got a strong record against the Red Devils.
Arteta still won’t be thrilled that United were able to get the better of Arsenal in the FA Cup last season, a humiliating defeat given that the away side were down to 10 men.
But perhaps that is the kind of game that Gyokeres will now be able to make a difference in.
Robbie Fowler has his doubts about Gyokeres at Arsenal – he perhaps doesn’t think he’ll be the answer for Arteta.
But it’s clear that the Arsenal manager now has a much more balanced squad ahead of the new season.
