Manchester United are in need of a Premier League win. After all these great performances in midweek, with two wins in the Champions League in the past ten days or so, it is now important for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his side to get important three points against a team that has aspirations similar to those of Man United. Arsenal are coming to town and they will want to show their work under Mikel Arteta is already starting to pay dividends.
Man United, on the other hand, have played last weekend against Chelsea and that did not work out perfectly. Sure, a point against the Blues is not so bad, but the Devils still have not won the game and are still waiting on a home Premier League win since the start of the campaign. That could change this Sunday, but improvements need to be made. United need to be more consistent with their performances and show the spirit they have shown against PSG and Leipzig.
Team News
As far as Manchester United are concerned, there are some injuries and coronavirus problems. Jesse Lingard is still recuperating from his knock, Eric Bailly as well, but the Ivorian will return a couple of weeks later than the Englishman. Phil Jones still has knee problems, while Alex Telles was COVID-19 positive and it remains unknown when he will return.
Arsenal, being Arsenal, have a lot of issues, especially in defence. Rob Holding has hamstring issues, David Luiz is still working on his thigh problems, while Mari will be out until December due to ankle injury. Also, Martinelli will return in January 2021 with his knee being the issue.
We could see United opt back for a one-striker formation, but considering how well it worked for them to have the two of them up front against Leipzig, we might see the same system against Arsenal.
Arteta is expected to play in a usual 4-3-3 formation.
Form Guide
Arsenal are coming to Manchester on the back of a 3-0 win in Europa League. That was not a tough task for them, considering they played against Republic of Ireland’s Dundalk, beating them through goals from Willock, Nketiah and Pepe. That shows what kind of a team Arsenal played against an almost all-Irish XI of Dundalk’s.
The Gunners will therefore be more rested than it would usually be expected, but they are also in need of a league win. The last two games they played, they both lost – first in Manchester against City and then at home against Leicester City. Those two matches were tough for them, but were disappointments nevertheless, especially the latter of the two.
Man United, on the other hand, have been playing inconsistently. In the cup competitions, they have been faultless, whether their rivals were PSG or Brighton. But now they need to get those performances to the pitch when playing in the league. The Newcastle 4-1 is already a distant past and the momentum needs to be going.
Predicted Outcome
It is hard predicting these matches, but considering Man United have shown a great performance against Leipzig, it might be too much to expect them to repeat it so well. Therefore, a draw could be on the cards at Old Trafford, with Arsenal coming pretty much rested and eager to stop their run of insufficient results.
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