The MLS All-Stars, under the guidance of Wayne Rooney, will be looking to spring a sunrise on a rusty Arsenal team when they take on the Gunners in a high-profile friendly on Wednesday.
MLS All-Stars v Arsenal Betting Tips
Odds courtesy of bet365, correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
- MLS All-Stars or draw double chance @ 6/4 with bet365
- Over 3.5 goals @ 10/11 with bet365
- Draw half-time result @ 13/8 with bet365
Stars may shine under old Arsenal nemesis
Arsenal’s pre-season preparations go up a notch when taking on the best Major League Soccer has to offer in Washington and it may pay to go against Mikel Arteta’s men.
The All-Stars may be a scratch team selected by a combination of a fan vote, commissioners’ choice and coach’s picks, but they shouldn’t be as big as 5/1 for a non-competitive game.
The Gunners have drawn both their pre-season friendly games so far, against Watford and Nurnberg, and are some way off getting up to full speed with the start of the 2023/24 campaign still over three weeks away.
The All-Stars have lost only five of their last 17 matches inside 90 minutes, while their coach for this year’s game, England ace-turned-DC United boss Wayne Rooney, has a habit of hurting Arsenal, bagging 15 goals against them in his playing days.
MLS All-Stars v Arsenal Bet 1: MLS All-Stars or draw double chance @ 6/4 with bet365
Arsenal and All-Stars out to entertain
The night before Arsenal and the MLS All-Stars square off in a traditional fixture, the two sides will go head-to-head in a skills contest. Expect both teams to do well in the shooting challenge, getting their eye in before the pre-season encounter.
The MLS have put together a side with a good deal of attacking talent with the likes of Jesus Ferreira, Denis Bouanga, Luciano Acosta and Carles Gil all hitting double figures for goal contributions this season.
Those aren't even the standout talents with World Cup winner Thiago Almada, FC Dallas's in-form frontman Jesus Ferreira and another old Arsenal nemesis, Christian Benteke, among those to watch.
Arsenal may not have scored more than once in a game during pre-season so far but they averaged two goals per game in the Premier League last season, while their top-flight matches averaged a combined 3.45 goals per 90 minutes.
MLS All-Stars v Arsenal Bet 2: Over 3.5 goals @ 10/11 with bet365
Competitive opening stanza
Pre-season games tend to follow a pattern of being coherent and competitive for the first half before the flow is disrupted by a raft of substitutions.
The MLS All-Stars may not have faced a European side since 2019, but before then three of their last four games had been level at half-time, including a 2016 clash with Arsenal.
The majority of MLS games are all-square at the interval and Arsenal, who drew the first half of 11 of their 38 league games last season, may not hold the advantage at the break.
MLS All-Stars v Arsenal Bet 3: Draw half-time result @ 13/8 with bet365