Manchester United left their disappointing defeat against West Bromwich in the rear view, as they bounced back with two positive results: a decent 2-0 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League, and a big 2-1 win over Tottenham in the FA Cup semifinals. The season is heading to its stretch part and The Red Devils need to tighten their grip on the second place in the standings. With that in mind, they will take on Arsenal at Old Trafford knowing that a win would put them one step closer from securing a Champions League berth for next season.
Team News
Just like it happened in our last preview ahead of the Tottenham game, the team news section in our previews will be extremely short. Jose Mourinho confirmed during the pre-match presser that he has a fully fit squad to choose from. The lone absentee will be Sergio Romero, as the Argentinian goalkeeper is still “a few weeks away” from returning after the injury he sustained with La Albiceleste in the friendly against Spain a few weeks ago. In fact, Mourinho confirmed that he will feature the same group that played against Tottenham. “Everybody’s fine,” Mourinho said. “I have 22 players and apart from Romero as a goalkeeper, everyone is fit to play.”
Arsenal have a pivotal match next week in the UEFA Europa League semifinals against Atletico Madrid. However, Arsene Wenger won’t make too many changes in this one. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is doubtful with a knee injury and while he will undergo a late-fitness test, chances are he won’t play. Mohamed Elneny will miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury, but there were positive news regarding Santi Cazorla who trained in the pitch before the game against Atletico Madrid earlier this week. Any other potential change would be through choice.
Form Guide
Manchester United have had a fair share of misteps this season – for example, their recent loss to West Bromwich – but for the most part they have been quite solid and in fact the numbers back them up. The Red Devils will enter this game with a three-point lead in the race for second place inthe Premier League standings, and they also defeated Tottenham 2-1 in the FA Cup semifinals the last time out. United have won five of their last six games across all competitions, so they are definitively trending in the right direction.
On the other hand, Arsenal surrendered a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid, and it is becoming increasingly clear that they will devote their focus and their efforts into that game. But if we focus solely on The Gunners’ path in the Premier League, then we can see that things have been quite … inconsistent, to say the least. Arsenal have endured a tough season – by their standards – and currently sit sixth in the table 11 points behind the Champions League positions. Despite that, they have won four of their last five matches in the Premier League and have lost just once in their last nine games, after a run of four straight defeats between February and March.
If we look at the historical head-to-head record, we can see it’s the Reds who have had the edge here. Manchester United have won 95, drawn 50 and lost 81 of the 226 previous meetings between the sides. In the Premier League, Sunday’s clash will be United’s 42nd meeting with Arsenal. The Reds have won 23 to Arsenal’s three, and there have been 15 draws.
Prediction
Manchester United have been on top form despite a few bumps in the road and they know this is a must-win game for them since Liverpool and Tottenham are quite close behind them. Arsenal, on the other hand, looks set to play in the UEFA Europa League next season and they do not appear to be overly concerned with what might happen here since their focus in on Thursday’s game against Atletico Madrid. Therefore, expect Manchester United to secure the three points.
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