MLS All-Stars vs Arsenal Prediction, Odds, and Betting Tips
Arsenal will step up their pre-season preparations with a friendly against a combined XI from the USA’s Major League Soccer.
MLS All-Stars vs Arsenal odds
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MLS All-Stars vs Arsenal predictions
This has been an excellent summer so far for Arsenal.
After falling just short in the Premier League title race last term, Mikel Arteta’s side could have patted themselves on the back after a season of overachievement.
Instead they have been quick out of the blocks in the transfer market as they seek to build a squad capable of beating Manchester City (and the rest of the division) to the championship crown in 2023/24.
After adding Kai Havertz to the ranks last month, Arsenal have wrapped up the signings of Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice in recent days.
Granit Xhaka has departed for Bayer Leverkusen but there is no doubt that Arsenal’s current squad is stronger than the one with which they ended last season.
The question now is whether the Gunners will be able to go one better in the Premier League title race.
Liverpool and Manchester United will both be aiming to kick on this campaign. Manchester City remain as formidable as ever. Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur should be much improved under new management.
Regardless, it is to Arteta’s credit that the idea of Arsenal winning the title is no longer fanciful. That had not been the case for some time.
Rice and Havertz will certainly bolster the midfield, with the former an especially exciting signing. Ben White should still get plenty of minutes at right-back, but Timber will offer additional dynamism from that position.
One thing is for sure: Arsenal fans will be excited to watch their team in action against MLS All-Stars in the early hours of Thursday morning.
MLS All-Stars vs Arsenal betting tips
Experimental matches like this are hard to call but it is hard to overlook the superior quality within Arsenal’s squad.
Arsenal to win and over 2.5 goals - 4/5 (Sky Bet)
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly was widely ridiculed when he suggested the Premier League needed to take a leaf out of MLS’ book last season.
“Ultimately I hope the Premier League takes a little bit of a lesson from American sports,” he said. “And really starts to figure out, why don’t we do a tournament with the bottom four sports teams, why isn’t there an All-Star game?”
It is not hard to see why figures like Jurgen Klopp were less than impressed with the suggestion. All-Star games are commonplace in the USA, but they are not a natural fit for the European sporting culture.
There will be plenty of intrigue around this match at Audi Field, but most of the focus worldwide will be trained on Arsenal.
The Gunners should find a way to win, even though the result is not the most important thing in games like this.
Everyone involved will want to put on a spectacle and that should encourage open, attacking soccer from both sides.
The Gunners are unlikely to be as defensively robust as they would be in a Premier League fixture, so the All-Stars should get chances. However, avoiding defeat will be a tall order.
Both teams to score in the second half - 3/2 (Sky Bet)
The MLS All-Star squad contains a selection of players from clubs across the country, with Wayne Rooney tasked with leading the side and going head-to-head with Arteta.
The match has come too soon for Lionel Messi following his recent switch from Paris Saint-Germain to Miami United.
Former Premier League striker Christian Benteke has been called up, as has the ex-Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig.
Keep an eye out, too, for Argentina international Thiago Almada, Mexican midfielder Hector Herrera and the in-form Los Angeles attacker Denis Bouanga.
The All-Stars do have firepower within the ranks and they may find it easier to fashion opportunities in the second half, by which time Arteta may well have changed his whole XI.
Indeed, defensive discipline and diligence could wane after the interval, and Arsenal’s players will not yet be up to full fitness.
Folarin Balogun to score any time - 9/5 (Sky Bet)
After several productive loan spells in France, William Saliba became an integral part of Arsenal’s first team in 2022/23.
Folarin Balogun could be about to follow suit this time around. The striker scored 22 goals for Ligue 1 side Reims last year and he wants to challenge Gabriel Jesus for the No.9 role at the Emirates Stadium.
A USA international, Balogun will be given an opportunity to shine on Thursday (Wednesday night local time) - and he should get a fine reception from everyone inside the stadium.
Speculation abounds over his future but Balogun will be looking to make a statement with his performance against the All-Stars.
Even if he does not start, Balogun should get at least 45 minutes to show what he can do. At this stage of pre-season Arteta will likely be making numerous in-game changes rather than sticking closely to a fixed XI.
With that in mind, back the 22-year-old to get on the scoresheet in the land of his birth.
How to watch MLS All-Stars vs Arsenal
- Location: Audi Field, Washington DC, United States.
- Date and time: Thursday 20 July 2023, 1.30am.
- How to watch: Apple TV.
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