Emirates Cup Odds, Free Picks & Betting Tips

Arsenal look to grab one last friendly tune-up before opening their Premier League season against Manchester City on the weekend. They'll take on Monaco in the Emirates Cup. See how many fireworks our betting picks are anticipating.

On Wednesday, we have Arsenal vs. Monaco in the Emirates Cup as both clubs begin to wrap up their preseason ahead of the return of their domestic leagues. It may be a friendly but both teams' managers will be looking to fine-tune their sides before the real action kicks off.

Can Arsenal continue what has been a largely impressive preseason? Don’t miss our Arsenal vs. Monaco tips and predictions.

Arsenal vs Monaco best odds

Arsenal vs Monaco picks and predictions

Get ready for a preseason clash between Arsenal and Monaco, two teams who share a level of friendship through former star and CBS expert Thierry Henry. Henry starred for both clubs during his playing career and will be forever linked to the red and white shirts of both Arsenal and Monaco. The game is part of this year’s Emirates Cup, a preseason tournament that has taken place nearly every summer since the inaugural event in 2007. It’s still a friendly but it’s become a much-loved part of the soccer landscape.

The new season isn’t here yet though and both Mikel Arteta and Adi Hutter are still seeing big chances in their squads as we get closer to the start of the leagues. Arsenal are still very much in the market for new players and it looks like they’re close to signing David Raya from Brentford. The Spanish goalkeeper is one of the most impressive in the Premier League and would surely replace Aaron Ramsdale, however, it’s unlikely the transfer will be sealed in time for Raya to play in this fixture.

One man who won’t be playing in this match is Axel Disasi. The 25-year-old French central defender has become a key part of the Monaco team and was even captain in a recent friendly. However, a fee has been agreed for him to move to Chelsea, who needed defensive reinforcements after the injury to Wesley Fofana. It’s still unclear if the transfer will have been completed before this game kicks offs but he wouldn’t be playing either way. His departure will be a loss for Monaco on both Wednesday and the season as a whole.

It's always hard to find value in friendlies but there’s one wager that really leaps out to me, which is backing Arsenal to win the game with both teams scoring, a bet you can pick up at +220. This preseason, we’ve seen Arsenal go 2-1-1, winning twice with the remaining games being a 1-1 draw with Nurnberg and a 2-0 defeat to Man Utd. Across four games, they’ve scored 11 times and have shown their ability in front of their own goal. Most recently, they beat Barcelona 5-3 in an impressive performance and one which Barcelona manager Xavi bemoaned as being too competitive for a preseason friendly. 

I expect Arsenal to fiercely come out of the traps on Wednesday in their last game before the season opens on Sunday with their game against Man City in the Community Shield at Wembley. 

Monaco finished sixth in Ligue 1 last season and losing Disasi is going to deprive them of a talented defender. So far in preseason they’ve won three games, lost two, and drawn one. They’re a good but not spectacular team and Arsenal should be able to win by scoring a couple of goals against them.

That said, Arsenal’s focus on the upcoming season will see them bench players in the second half, which should allow Monaco chances to score, especially Wissam Ben Yedder, who is more than capable of putting away any opportunities that arise.

My best bet: Arsenal to win and both teams to score (+220 at bet365)

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Arsenal vs Monaco same-game parlay

Both teams to score (-125)

Arsenal moneyline (-188)

Over 3 goals (+162)

You know we have to get in the mix with a same-game parlay for Arsenal vs Monaco and I have a juicy +375 wager.

First up, we’ll be backing both teams to score. As mentioned above, I’m confident we’ll see Arsenal score. They have serious attacking talent with the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, and Leandro Trossard. They’ll be too much for the Monaco backline to handle, especially without Chelsea-bound Disasi. On the flip side, there are still goals in the Monaco lineup with Ben Yedder and Kevin Volland both well-known goalscorers in Europe.

Secondly, we’ll be backing Arsenal to win. To put it simply, they are the better team from front to back and despite the new season looming on the horizon, they’ll want to sign off with a win here and finish on a high ahead of Sunday’s game against Man City.

The final leg is a total goals bet but instead of going for the traditional Over 2.5, I’ll recommend going for Over 3. We’ve seen Arsenal hit opponents for five goals in two of their last three preseason games and with the quality of striking options likely to start, I can see them scoring three or four goals quite easily, which will take us Over the number before their opponents also score.

Arsenal vs Monaco Over/Under analysis

It’s really difficult to see anything but an Arsenal win here and in many ways, -188 is a fair price. However, I’d recommend going for a smaller stake on something with larger odds, such as my best bet for this game.

Over 2.5 goals at -143 is another potential wager, which seems like a sure thing and I certainly wouldn’t talk anybody out of betting on it. I think we’re likely to see Arsenal score at least three goals alone, which makes that a slam dunk. That said, I’d still recommend being cautious given that this is a preseason friendly.

Arsenal vs Monaco game info

Arsenal vs Monaco key injuries

Arsenal: Reiss Nelson FWR (Out), Oleksandr Zinchenko LB (Questionable), Folarin Balogun STR (Questionable), Declan Rice CM (Questionable).
Monaco: Breel Embolo FWR (Out).

Arsenal vs Monaco weather

There’s likely to be heavy rain as well as thunder and lightning around the kick-off of this game. Temperatures will be in the mid-60s.