Returning Van Persie can break top-four chasing Arsenal hearts

Champions Manchester United travel to Arsenal in a match of massive importance to the hosts, but all eyes will be on Red Devils striker Robin van Persie, upon his first return to the Emirates Stadium.

Van Persie spent eight years with the Gunners, growing into one of the club’s most influential players, before citing a will to win trophies as his reasoning to move on.

And after already claiming silverware in his first season at United, the Premier League’s leading goalscorer can further twist the knife into his old club by scuppering their Champions League qualification ambitions.

Van Persie is 9/2 favourite to break the deadlock in the game, and losing first goal, correct score and scorecast stakes will be refunded as a free bet if the returning talisman scores first or last in the match.

Having notched 24 times domestically already this term meanwhile, 9/2 appears a very fair price that Van Persie outscores his former team-mates in their entirety, and he already boasts a goal against his former club in the reverse fixture earlier this season.

However, the 29-year-old registered the same amount of goals as Arsenal in that 2-1 Red Devils victory, so there may be scope to the 13/5 odds about them tying again.

Meanwhile, United look way overpriced as 2/1 shots in match betting markets, considering their pursuit of a record Premier League points haul.

But in Van Persie-specific markets, Ladbrokes favour the possibility of the Dutchman showing appreciation to his former boss Arsene Wenger.

7/4 is the price that the pair are captured embracing, a scenario that would appear much less likely were Van Persie to justify his 25/1 odds to be sent off in the match.

Also, in the aftermath of his wonder-strike opposing Aston Villa, 5/1 is available regarding the marksman smashing home a volley, whilst he can be backed at 12/1 to reveal a t-shirt message after finding the net.

And punters can have 8/1 that Van Persie marks his return by being named man-of-the-match, an accolade he so frequently had bestowed upon him in his final season as a Gunners player.

Should he manage to outscore all opposition, as he appears to have every chance of doing, Van Persie would look a standout contender to claim the award for the second match running, after his hat-trick display against Villa last time out.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.