Manchester United vs Arsenal predicted with stoppage time winner in Premier League clash

Manchester United vs Arsenal predicted with stoppage time winner in Premier League clash

Manchester United take on rivals Arsenal on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Man United's predicted XI vs Arsenal (Image: EA Sports)

Manchester United's 2025/26 Premier League campaign gets under way later today, with Ruben Amorim's side taking on Arsenal at Old Trafford.

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Last season was one to forget for United, with Amorim's side finishing 15th in the Premier League table while also losing to Tottenham in the Europa League final. But, despite United failing to earn any form of European football for the upcoming campaign, recruitment has been strong, with Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko forming a new-look attack at the club.

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Lisandro Martinez, Joshua Zirkzee and Noussair Mazraoui are all guaranteed to miss out against Arsenal later today, while Andre Onana could return in goal after missing all of pre-season through injury. The last time the two sides met saw the points shared, with Bruno Fernandes getting on the scoresheet in a 1-1 draw.

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So, can United kick off the new season with three points? We used EA FC 25 to get a score prediction.

Man United vs Arsenal score predicted by simulation

To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 25 and updated the squads with the latest injuries, suspensions, and transfers. The kits from the 2025/26 season aren't available in EA FC 25, so both sides were lined up in last season's kits, while new transfers may have incorrect squad numbers in-game.

We predict that United could set up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Onana; Yoro, De Ligt, Heaven; Amad, Fernandes, Ugarte, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Cunha; Sesko.

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We predict that Arsenal could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli.

Arsenal started on top at Old Trafford, and they had two big chances to take the lead in the opening 20 minutes, but Viktor Gyokeres was unable to direct any of his close-range efforts on target. They were glaring misses from the Swedish international, and just before half-time, it was the other new striker who scored first.

Benjamin Sesko made it 1-0 to United (Image: EA Sports)

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Mbeumo and Amad combined down the right to skip past the Arsenal defence, with the latter being allowed to run freely into space on the wing. As Gabriel came across to cover, Amad picked out Sesko unmarked in the box, and after cutting onto his left foot, the striker found the net with a curling effort.

After the break, Arsenal took full control of the game, and they managed to level the score in the 66th minute when Andre Onana pushed Gabriel Martinelli's shot into the path of Bukayo Saka, allowing the Englishman to tap into an empty net from close range. With the score level, the Gunners continued to dominate, and in the 91st minute, Mikel Arteta's side were able to turn the game on its head and find a late winner.

Gabriel Martinelli made it 2-1 to Arsenal late on (Image: EA Sports)

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A long ball forward sent Gyokeres through on goal, but as he shot, Matthijs de Ligt recovered fantastically to make an important block. The ball fell perfectly for Martinelli, with the Brazilian sending a sweetly struck volley into the far corner to secure the three points late on.

EA FC 25 pre

What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!

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