Old Trafford welcomes title chasers Arsenal to the hallowed turf to face out of sorts Manchester United.
This is the first time in the Premier League that the Gunners have travelled to Old Trafford as favourites – a sure indication of their demise under Louis van Gaal. Accused of playing tepid, tentative football, Manchester United have looked a shadow of the force they did under Sir Alex Ferguson. A number of injuries to key players doesn’t help them either, with young striker Marcus Rashford being forced to make his debut in the UEFA Europa League last week due to injuries to first-choice strikers Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial – although a 5-1 victory in that game will go some way to calming their scoring nerves.
A lot of fans and neutrals alike expect Arsenal to comfortably dominate this game, much like they did back in October when they won 3-0. However, goals seemed to have dried up for the Gunners, having failed to score against Hull City and Barcelona at home. Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey seem to be struggling for goals at the minute – Sunday presents a good opportunity for the start of a purple patch. Manchester United have equally struggled, although this is perhaps down to the tactics of their manager rather than the composure of their finishers.
Twitter: Damning stat reveals how Arsenal are blowing title chances https://t.co/gWYVlGnpTP via @MetroUK (@arsenalmad79)
One player Arsenal should watch out for is David de Gea. While the Spaniard is potentially out of Sunday afternoon’s game with injury, if he does start, he’ll prove a tricky opponent for the Gunners. Perhaps the one bright spot in a disappointing season, De Gea has saved United almost as many points as Petr Cech has Arsenal, and with a makeshift defence in front of him, expect him to be very busy this Sunday.
One player Manchester United should watch for is Alexis Sanchez. Although seemingly in a rut at the moment, there were glimpses against Barcelona of his ability to carry the ball and run at defenders, and facing the likes of Varela and Daley Blind will be easier than Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano.
Match facts
– Arsenal are winless in their last eight Premier League games at Old Trafford, losing six of those matches.
– There have been just 20 Premier League goals scored at Old Trafford this season – fewer than at any other top-flight ground.
– Arsenal have only won two of seven Premier League away matches since October.
Team news
– Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is feared to be out for months, possibly even the whole season, after his clash in the Barcelona match. Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky are still out. Gabriel will face a fitness test but trained on Saturday so should be fine to make the matchday squad.
– Anthony Martial, Chris Smalling and De Gea will all face fitness tests; other than that, Manchester United currently have 14 players injured.
Predicted XIs
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Cech; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Ramsey; Campbell, Ozil, Alexis; Giroud.
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): De Gea, Varela, Smalling, Blind, Borthwick-Jackson; Carrick, Schneiderlin; Lingard, Mata, Depay; Rashford.
