How to watch and follow United v Arsenal

Summer holidays have been had, pre-season preparations have been worked through, and new faces have been welcomed into the club. Now time to get down to business.

Ruben Amorim will be looking to kick the season off on a positive note, but the Gunners are sure to provide a stern test at the Theatre of Dreams, having finished second in the league for three consecutive seasons.

You won't want to miss a minute of it. Let us fill you in on everything you need to know about the clash, and how you can follow the action on the day...

HOW TO WATCH AND FOLLOW

The 16:30 BST kick-off will be broadcast by Sky Sports in the UK, but we have plenty of exclusive pre-match build-up lined up for subscribers over on MUTV, starting at 15:25.

Our expert panel will be on hand to analyse Amorim's first Premier League squad of the new term, live from Old Trafford, before we bring you interviews, live commentary, half-time and full-time reaction, and much more.

You can also join us in the United App and on ManUtd.com for a range of interactive content, minute-by-minute updates, live Opta-powered stats and the latest from your favourite Reds, all in one place! There's nowhere better to be on matchday.

TEAM NEWS

United have carried a couple of injury concerns through the summer, but there has been positive news on that front in recent days.

Both Andre Onana and Lisandro Martinez have been pictured working their way back to fitness at our revamped Carrington training base, the former vocal about his hope to be fit to start the Arsenal game, but the opener is likely to be too soon for the latter.

Joshua Zirkzee and Noussair Mazraoui did not appear in the American leg of Tour 2025, presented by Snapdragon, nor in the Fiorentina friendly back in M16, so updates on that pair, plus any further team news, may be delivered by Amorim in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

The boss could also confirmed whether new arrival Benjamin Sesko is likely to be involved.

The visitors are kicking off the season with a relatively clean bill of health. Gabriel Jesus is the most notable absentee, as he is still recovering from a knee injury sustained in our visit to the Emirates Stadium in the Emirates FA Cup back in January.

Leandro Trossard is the only other concern, having picked up a slight groin strain in the Gunners' pre-season meeting with Tottenham Hotspur, but Mikel Arteta hopes to have him back available for selection for Sunday.

PRE-SEASON FORM

The Reds pre-season tour saw us travel to Sweden, the United States and welcome Italian side Fiorentina to Manchester to close out our preparations.

We remained unbeaten throughout, picking up wins against West Ham United and Bournemouth, draws with Leeds United and Everton, and a penalty-shootout victory in the Snapdragon Cup against The Viola.

Captain Bruno Fernandes was voted our top Stateside performer in a recent fan poll, and he'll be hoping to carry that form through to the new season, working with a revitalised attacking unit.

Arteta's side travelled to Asia and kicked their pre-season off with wins against AC Milan and Newcastle United, before rounding off that leg of the tour with defeat to Spurs. Back on home soil, they were beaten by Villarreal, before signing off with a victory against Athletic Club.

TRANSFER BUSINESS

United have been busy in the transfer market this summer, adding Matheus Cunha, Diego Leon, Bryan Mbeumo and Sesko to Amorim's first-team squad.

The first three have all had a taste of Reds action during pre-season, but we are still awaiting the debut of Sesko, who signed just over a week before our meeting with Arsenal. Their trip to Old Trafford could provide the perfect opportunity for the Slovenian striker to make his bow in front of our incredible home support.

The Gunners have also been busy, concluding deals for Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga.

But perhaps their most high-profile deal is that of Viktor Gyokeres, a striker Amorim knows all about from their shared days at Sporting, which will hopefully give the Reds the edge in combatting his threat.

RIVALS WATCH

There is a full slate of Premier League fixtures scheduled for the opening day of the season. Here's the list in full:

FRIDAY 15 AUGUST

Liverpool v Bournemouth (20:00 BST)

SATURDAY 16 AUGUST

Aston Villa v Newcastle United (12:30 BST)
Brighton & Hove Albion v Fulham
Sunderland v West Ham United
Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester City (17:30 BST)

SUNDAY 17 AUGUST

Chelsea v Crystal Palace (14:00 BST)
Nottingham Forest v Brentford (14:00 BST)
UNITED v Arsenal (16:30 BST)

MONDAY 18 AUGUST

Leeds United v Everton (20:00 BST)

*All kick-offs 15:00 BST unless otherwise stated.