Arsenal entertained their former rivals Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday after an impressive victory over Southampton earlier in the week.
Despite the delay at St. Mary’s, Mikel Arteta’s team responded brilliantly and turned the game around, ending up losing 3-1. Bukayo Saka, Nicolas Pepe, Cedric Soares and Granit Xhaka were among the most notable performers and so the Gunners are getting into this one after winning five of their last six Premier League games.
Manchester United missed the opportunity to return to the top of the division earlier this week after suffering a shock defeat at the hands of Sheffield United.
The visitors took a surprise lead thanks to Kean Bryan, but when Harry Maguire equalized in the second half, very few would have expected the Blades to come up the other end and restore their lead ten minutes later via Oliver Burke.
What time is the kick-off? 5.30 p.m.
Where is it played? Emirates Stadium
TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event / Premier League
Arbitrator: Michael oliver
VAR: Andy Halliday
Arsenal could still do without their skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mikel Arteta was unable to provide a definitive answer on the player’s availability when speaking to the media. Kieran Tierney, Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe will all be evaluated before the match. Martin Ødegaard joined the club during Real Madrid week on loan and could feature this weekend.
Manchester United could get Eric Bailly back after missing Wednesday’s game with a blow. Victor Lindelof was an unused replacement in the loss to Sheffield United and could return to the starting XI for the trip to Emirates Stadium. Brandon Williams is back in training and Phil Jones remains unavailable, but apart from these problems Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is in good health.
Arsenal: (4-2-3-1): Leno; Bellerin, Holding, Luiz, Cédric; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Smith Rowe, Pepe; Lacazette
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Fred, McTominay; Rashford, Pogba, Fernandes; Cavani
Arsenal
Southampton 1-3 Arsenal – Premier League – 26/1
Southampton 1-0 Arsenal – FA Cup – 23/1
Arsenal 3-0 Newcastle United – Premier League – 18/1
Arsenal 0-0 Crystal Palace – Premier League – 14/1
Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle United – FA Cup – 9/1
Manchester United
Manchester United 1-2 Sheffield United – Premier League – 27/1
Manchester United 3-2 Liverpool – FA Cup – 24/1
Fulham 1-2 Manchester United – Premier League – 20/1
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United – Premier League – 17/1
Burnley 0-1 Manchester United – Premier League -12/1
Manchester United are currently second in the Premier League, just one point behind leaders Manchester City and so, although they suffered a shock midweek defeat, they will undoubtedly have their chances of leaving the Emirates. Stadium with the three points.
Arsenal’s recent run has led to a lot of talk about a revival, however, consistency over an extended period has been an issue for the Gunners this season, who ahead of their Boxing Day win over Chelsea were languishing towards the bottom of the table .
The Gunners, at times, under their current boss, have been a bit more pragmatic than in the past and given the threat United poses on the counterattack, we might see a similar approach this weekend. As such, it might be a far cry from the goalscoring party we would all love to see – despite the undoubted talent on both sides.
Prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Manchester United
