Emirates Cup: Arsenal vs. Monaco Preview, Odds, Predictions, Picks

Arsenal traditionally finishes its preseason at home with an Emirates Cup game. The Gunners’ rivals this year will be AS Monaco, one of the biggest teams in France. Of course, the venue of the event is the Emirates Stadium, and the game takes place on Wednesday afternoon. Arsenal was on tour through the United States, playing games against the top European units. Monaco was stationed in Europe, and they had several very solid tests as well, against the teams from the top five continental leagues. 

Preview

Arsenal (-195) finished the tour through the US with a 5-3 victory over Barcelona which significantly boosted the morale of Arteta’s boys. Stuffing five goals in Barca’s net is something worth respecting, even if it is a club-friendly event.

Prior to this contest, we’ve seen the Gunners losing 2-0 to Manchester United, beating the MLS All-Stars 5-0 and playing 1-1 against Nurnberg. Overall, Arteta tried various tactics and approaches, and now comes the ultimate test. 

Arsenal has a big game coming up this weekend when they face Manchester City in the Community Shield game. It will be a chance for both sides to take the trophy and start the season in a good mood. Also, it is an opportunity for Arsenal to stand up to the Citizens, who beat them in the previous title race. 

Monaco (+450) played six preseason events prior to this. They had three wins, two draws and one tie. The results the French unit posted were next: 1-1 against Union Saint Gilloise, a 0-3 loss to Cercle Brugge, a 3-1 win over Betis, 2-0 over Leeds, 3-2 against Bologna, and a defeat to Genoa in their most recent event, 1-0. 

Monaco didn’t change its team too much during the summer. Their biggest and only notable transfer was Philipp Kohn’s arrival from RB Leipzig. The key players are Wissam Ben Yedder, Kavin Volland, Golovin, Minanimo etc. 

The team tends to play offensive-minded football, with fast transitions down both flanks. Ben Yedder is the man in the middle responsible for scoring goals.

Latest News

Rice and Timber should start the game; this will be their final test before the Community Shield. After this event, Artera will see whether to put them in the starting lineup vs. City.

On the other end, Monaco comes to play with its full squad, as there wasn’t news on any significant injuries. 

Head to Head Games

Arsenal and Monaco played in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 back in 2015. They both won on the road, Monaco 1-3 and Arsenal 0-2, but the French team advanced because of more goals scored on the road. 

Predictions

Arsenal is very gifted offensively, and there aren’t too many teams on the continent with such a dangerous offense. We don’t doubt their win for one moment, and even though we respect Monaco, anything else but the Gunners’ confident victory here would be a surprising outcome. The odds of Arsenal winning are -195, but we won’t go with that. Instead, the hosts covering a 1.5-goal spread is our pick here, with the odds at +120. It might seem risky, but it really isn’t. 

Pick: Arsenal -1.5 +120