Soccer

ARSENAL have it all to do in Paris on Wednesday, so how will they approach this game with Bournemouth on Saturday?SunSport have enlisted the help of their betting experts to preview the Emirates contest and select the best bets, tips and exclusive sign-up bonuses from our leading betting partners.Find The Sun’s betting publishing principles hereNew sign-up offersSunSport exclusivesArsenal vs Bournemouth previewArsenal go to Paris next midweek with a deficit, though will be pretty pleased to still actually be in the tie.That makes this Saturday’s clash with Bournemouth a bit of an inconvenience.So it remains to be seen how Arteta approaches this one, particularly having fallen short in the title race yet again, and a Champions League spot for next season hasn’t quite been sewn up yet.The bookmakers are taking them on and they’re bigger than EVENS with most firms, which maybe hints at what could happen.Their home form hasn’t been particularly good recently either, having failed to win any of their last three at the Emirates and only winning three of the last eight – though one was that Real thumping. They welcome a Cherries side who have played themselves out of form at the wrong time when in the hunt for a European spot.They’ve won just once in their last 11 games – winning another on penalties in the cup after a draw in 90 minutes.Conceding in the 96th minute when leading Manchester United last time out hasn’t helped, though they were put down to 10 men with 20 minutes to play.Evanilson was wrongly sent off and has had that rescinded so will lead the line here.Bournemouth won the reverse fixture earlier in the campaign when the Gunners had William Saliba sent off in the first half.First scorer and correct score predictionsCorrect score: 1-1 at 11/2 with Betfred – HEREFirst scorer: Ethan Nwaneri 15/2 with talkSPORT BET – HEREArsenal vs Bournemouth latest oddsOdds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.How to claim..William Hill £60 welcome bonusVisit the William Hill website HERE*Register an account using the Promo Code: T60Once your account is registered, click ‘opt in’ on the ‘Vegas Promotion’ pageDeposit a minimum of £10 in your main account to receive a £20 Vegas Bonus for use on Selected GamesThen place a bet with a minimum stake of £10 at odds of 1/2 or greater on any football marketOnce that’s settled, your account will be credited with £40 in free betsWilliam Hill: Claim £60 welcome bonus – click here*Arsenal vs Bournemouth predictionsAnt manAntoine Semenyo is just one of a cluster of Bournemouth players set to be linked with a move in the summer.And rightly too given his attacking output. However, on the flip side of that, no Bournemouth player has had more BOOKINGS than him in the Premier League this campaign.With defensive duties aplenty down his side likely to come, he could hit double figures in the cards department at relatively kind odds.Antoine Semenyo to be carded at 3/1 with William Hill – CLAIM HEREZin to winOleksandr Zinchenko may be one of those players who sees game time on Saturday as Mikel Arteta rests his big players.Whether that be at left back or potentially central midfield, he has a knack of finding himself in little pockets on the edge of the area.Will hope to catch manager’s eye, too and little bit of an outside punt at decent odds.Oleksandr Zinchenko at least 1 shot on target at 14/5 with William Hill – CLAIM HERE*William Hill. 18+. Play Safe. New players only, using promo code T60. Valid from 13/04/2022. Online play. Get £60 Bonus split between Vegas & Sports in the following manner – (i) Deposit £10 to unlock £20 Vegas Free Bet on Selected Games (72hr expiry, wagering reqs apply); then (ii) bet £10+ (odds 1/2+) with cash (excl. £10 deposit) or Vegas winnings (after wager reqs met). Once settled, receive £40 Sports Free Bets excluding Virtual Markets (4x £10, 7 days expiry). Payment methods & country restrictions apply. Full T&Cs apply.*Betfred. New customers only. Register (excl 05/04/25), deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility exclusions & T&Cs Apply. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply.*BetMGM. New customers only. 7 days to place qualifying bet of £10 at 1/1 (2.0) to receive 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 x £10 football, 1 x £10 horse racing & 2 x £10 Bet Builders. Free Bets cannot be used on e-sports and non UK/IE horse racing. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned T&Cs apply. 18+ GambleAware.org.*talkSPORT BET. 18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet up to £40 (min. £20) on any football market at odds of 2.00+, in 7 days. Get up to £40 in free bets on selected markets. Bonuses expire in 7 days. T&Cs apply, see below. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly*Tote. New customers online only. Eligibility restrictions apply. Only valid with code B10G40 on registration. £10 min qualifying bet at 1/1 (2.0) odds or greater across sports or racing (if EW then min £10 Win + £10 Place). Receive £20 Tote Credit, £10 Free Sports Bet and 50 Free Spins on Big Bass Bonanza within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. 7-day expiry on free bets & Tote Credit. Your first bet will be your qualifying bet. One per customer. UK & ROI customers only. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org. Full T&Cs apply.Remember to gamble responsiblyA responsible gambler is someone who:Establishes time and monetary limits before playingOnly gambles with money they can afford to loseNever chase their lossesDoesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressedGamcare – gamcare.org.ukGambleAware – GambleAware.orgRead our guide on responsible gambling practices.For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites. More

MANCHESTER UNITED are on the cusp of a first European final since 2021 after stunning Athletic Club 3-0 in Bilbao.Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes ran the show in Spain to sink one of LaLiga’s meanest defences. Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes starred as Man Utd thrashed Athletic BilbaoCredit: ReutersThe Red Devils scored three goals in 15 crazy minutes before half-timeCredit: PARuben Amorim opted for a bold XI as United faced up to Europe’s best home rearguard. Bilbao had conceded just 11 goals at the Estadio de San Mames all season, with the arena a cauldron of noise in the early stages.But after some half chances for the hosts, the game turned on its head following Casemiro’s opener against the run of play.The Brazilian headed United ahead, with Dani Vivian controversially sent off just minutes later for hauling down Rasmus Hojlund in the box. READ MORE ON FOOTBALLBruno Fernandes stepped up to roll in the spotkick before adding to the rout on the stroke of half-time, firing past Julen Agirrezabala one-on-one.Bilbao retreated into their own half for the remainder of the game, keeping the score down to three. And United – so dismal for much of this season – are now overwhelming favourites to reach the Europa League final. Here’s how SunSport’s Jim Sheridan rated the Red Devils in Bilbao.Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKAndre Onana – 6Amorim chose to trust the error-prone shot stopper despite his calamitous Lyon displays.And he looked assured in the early stages, saving brilliantly from Alex Berenguer. Nemanja Matic brands Andre Onana ‘one of worst keepers in Man Utd HISTORY’ in savage response to goalieIt proved to be an important stop as Bilbao fell apart after going down to 10 men. Athletic boss Ernesto Valverde was forced to blunt his attacking force as the goals reigned in, trying to keep the score down.The Cameroonian was able to relax until the 94th minute, when Alvaro Djalo curled a weak freekick straight into his arms. A welcome clean sheet. Victor Lindelof – 6The Swede was preferred over Luke Shaw in a back-three as Amorim trusted his veterans to provide stability. And after a shaky first 15 minutes, Lindelof repaid the faith with a heroic block to deny Berenguer a certain opener.The centre-back was perfectly placed to hack the ball off the line with Onana well beaten. It proved to be a turning point in the match, with United stunning the hosts with two quickfire goals minutes later. Lindelof otherwise wasn’t troubled and saw out just his second full 90 minutes since early March. Harry Maguire – 7Reports suggest United are sticking with Maguire after two seasons of trying to offload him.And maybe Amorim should just send him upfront permanently.The England man went on a stunning mazy run down the right wing, turning his man inside out before whipping in a brilliant cross for Casemiro to open the scoring. Maguire survived a VAR scare after the break with the incensed home fans desperately calling for a red card against the 32-year-old.But it would have been incredibly harsh – and Amorim swiftly replaced him with Matthjis De Ligt to deafening jeers. Noussair Mazraoui – 7The Moroccan was given the unenviable task of marking Nico Williams out on the United right.And he put in a superb shift, keeping the Arsenal target quiet before Bilbao were forced to change shape after the red card.The 27-year-old had the final say of the first half, lashing a brilliant drive from the edge of the box against the bar. He patrolled the right flank with authority, pocketing Williams, who had a stinker. Leny Yoro – 7 The teenager completely lost Inaki Williams for an early header which should have hit the net. That prompted an earful from Casemiro, who barracked the entire backline for switching off.Yoro didn’t make the same mistake again, with Bilbao eventually forced to blunt their attacking options and play to keep the score down after going 3-0 behind. The 19-year-old looked assured in possession as United strolled around the pitch in the second half. A class act and can only improve.Patrick Dorgu – 7The January signing was employed almost as a left-winger in the early stages, pushing miles up the pitch to get involved in attacks. But it left the Dane isolated on the counter attack – and Berenguer had a field day in the first 20 minutes. With more space on offer as the hosts fell to ten men, the full-back suddenly came to life. And he enjoyed some strong runs up the flank as the hosts clung on for 3-0. Casemiro – 8 The most experienced man on the field, the Brazilian knows how to be in the right place at the right time.He looked a little overawed by Bilbao’s relentless pressing in the opening exchanges, with the home fans making a remarkable din. But the midfielder was in the perfect place to power a bullet header past Julen Agirrezabala and open the scoring. He almost made it 4-0 in the second half, sending another free header against the post.Looking more like the player United thought they signed – now they’ve stopped trying to play everything through him. Manuel Ugarte – 6It was a horror show for the first 30 minutes from the Uruguayan, who had his pocket picked early in a dangerous area by Berenguer.Onana bailed the midfielder out on that occasion with a smart save.But Ugarte continued to give the ball away consistently in crucial areas.Despite being a liability in his own half, he somehow walked back into the dressing room at half time with two assists. The first a glancing header to set up Casemiro from Maguire’s cross, the other a gorgeous flick to unleash Fernandes. United might have to put up with the unpredictable side of Ugarte if they want to see the best of him in the long term. It might be a gamble worth taking. Bruno Fernandes – 9The skipper said before this game that United’s season wouldn’t be saved by winning the Europa League.Whether he believes that or not, the Portuguese playmaker led by example in the Basque cauldron. He stepped up tall to take a first-half penalty despite the deafening noise, sending the keeper the wrong way after a cheeky stutter.And right on the stroke of half-time, there was nobody else you’d want going one-on-one when sent through on goal.That’s now 37 goal contributions across all competitions for the often-maligned No.10 this season.He’s almost single-handedly carried United to the cusp of unexpected European glory – a towering performance. Alejandro Garnacho – 7The Argentine was a menace from the off, finishing brilliantly within five minutes only to be met by the offside flag.Everything good from United in the first half hour came through the tricky winger.And he consistently had the beating of full-back Yuri Berchiche.Garnacho could only watch on and laugh as Maguire channelled his inner-Lamine Yamal just before the break. But the only blot was – once again – being unable to chip in with either a goal or an assist. That’s now 2 goals in his last 32 appearances across all competitions. Rasmus Hojlund – 6 The shot-shy Dane was tasked with scoring past Europe’s meanest home defence. And despite struggling again for touches and shots, he muscled himself goal-side of Dani Vivian to deservedly win United’s first-half penalty. As has become the norm, the £72million man worked his socks off with little end product.He managed just four touches inside the Bilbao box – and failed again to get away any shots. A familiar story. SubstitutesMatthijs De Ligt (65′) – Solid as a rock despite not having much to do off the bench. Good to see him back. 6Mason Mount (65′) – Took just seconds to make his mark, slamming into Inaki Williams shortly after coming on. Clearly keen to impress but was needlessly booked for hauling down Mikel Jauregizar. 6Luke Shaw (74′) – A strong foray forward down the left almost teed up Garnacho for a fourth. 7Read More on The SunKobbie Mainoo (84′) – Small cameo for the England midfielder again, did what he needed to do well in the closing stages. 6Amad Diallo (84′) – A welcome return to action for the Ivorian, who has been out since February. Some neat touches and looked sharp. 6 More