Match Preview
Arsenal travel to Manchester United on Sunday afternoon in the hope of not only turning around their wretched record away record at Old Trafford, but also steadying the ship after losing three of their last four matches in the Premier League.
Arteta will be looking for a much needed reaction after last week’s demoralising defeat to Leicester and will be hopeful that his squad can bring all three points back with them to North London.
The Spaniard could be tempted to revert back to a 3-4-3 formation for this fixture, however having struggled to create chances in recent weeks, the braver 4-3-3 set-up could prove fruitful for the visitors against a leaky defence.
The Gunners currently sit in the bottom half of the table, but a win against their long term rivals would go a long way in propelling them up the table.
On the other hand, the hosts have had an inconsistent start and are yet to win a game at Old Trafford in the Premier League this season, losing two and drawing one so far.
However, the Red Devils have shown great from in the Champions League, beating PSG and thumping RB Leipzig 5-0 on Wednesday night.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be expecting his side to put in a more organised display defensively and perhaps will put the onus on the away side to take the game to them, in order to suit their style of counter-attacking football.
United currently sit in 15th after a disappointing start, but will have a game in hand over Arsenal subsequent to their clash on Sunday.
Form
Arsenal’s last 5 matches: W, L, W, L, W
Manchester United’s last 5 matches: L, W, W, D, W
Team News
Arsenal have somewhat of a crisis at centre-back, as Pablo Mari and Rob Holding are yet to be back in full training and will definitely miss this fixture with ankle and hamstring injuries retrospectively.
Experienced defender David Luiz strained his thigh against Leicester last week, having to be brought off after 49 minutes and will also miss out.
Young talent Gabriel Martinelli looks to be ahead of schedule with his return from a serious knee injury, however it is thought he will not be available until early next year.
Fellow countryman Willian has recovered in time from a calf-injury and made his return to the first team on Thursday night against Dundalk.
David Luiz will be a big miss for Arsenal.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has ruled out Jesse Lingard and Eric Baily, but did reveal that the pair are only a couple of weeks away from being involved in the first team again.
The only other absentee for the hosts is new left-back Alex Telles, who recently tested positive for Covid-19 and now has to complete his period of self-isolation.
Head to Head Stats
- Manchester United are winless in their last four league games against Arsenal. (2D, 2L)
- Arsenal haven’t won at Old Trafford in their last 13 attempts, a run stretching back to September 2006 when they managed a 1-0 victory.
- The Gunners are aiming for back-to-back Premier League wins against United for the first time since 2006-07.
- United have scored in each of the last meetings against Arsenal at Old Trafford since 2009.
Predicted Lineups
Arsenal’s predicted lineup:
Arteta could deploy Aubameyang through the middle. (Credit: Squawka)
Manchester United’s predicted lineup:
United could lineup with a diamond formation in midfield. (Credit: Squawka)
I’m a 20 year-old Arsenal fanatic and aspiring Sports Journalist, who will be studying how to write about the Beautiful Game at Solent University from September in an attempt to make my dream into a reality.
Since the age of 8 I have played academy football, but unfortunately it didn’t quite work out – therefore I decided to pursue the next best career for me.
I am aiming to write honest and interesting articles about the club I love, and to share my opinion (one from the younger generation of Arsenal supporters) with as many other fans as possible!
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