Manchester United have had a good week behind them, following the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Ten days have already gone by since the end of his managerial role at Old Trafford and two games have been played. United have improved in this short time under Michael Carrick, but now is time for another interesting and big challenge for the Red Devils.
Arsenal are coming to Old Trafford on Thursday night, which will be a very interesting clash for both sides – the Gunners hoping to get into top four places and the Red Devils wanting to close the gap between them and top sides following a rocky start of the season. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the match.
Team News
Man United will be without four important players once again. Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani and Raphael Varane are all still injured, while it seems that Luke Shaw might remain in that group of players, following his head injury. The good news for Carrick is the fact Harry Maguire will return to the team following his suspension for the red card against Watford.
Arsenal will be without two players due to injury. Granit Xhaka has knee issues, while Sead Kolasinac injured his ankle. Also, it remains to be seen whether Bukayo Saka will be ready to start for Arteta’s side. All the other players should be ready to play. The Gunners will be making a decision what to do with Alexandre Lacazette, who did not start last weekend against Newcastle, with Martin Odegaard showing a fine performance. Possibly, that might all happen again at Old Trafford, with the Frenchman starting on the bench.
Form Guide
Manchester United’s form has been known for poor results prior to Solskjaer’s departure, with the final two blows coming against Manchester City before the international break and then a 4-1 beating at Watford’s Vicarage Road right after that break. But since then, Michael Carrick has managed to steady the ship, beating Villarreal 2-0 in the Champions League and earning the qualification for the knockout stages. Then there was last weekend, when United battled to stop Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a tough fought 1-1 draw.
Arsenal, on the other hand, have been doing much better. Sure, there was a really tough 4-0 beating at the hands of Liverpool some 10 days ago, but before and after that, things have gone well. Mikel Arteta’s side had four consecutive wins prior to that match – beating Aston Villa, Leicester and Watford in the Premier League and Leeds United in the League Cup, whilst keeping the clean sheets in all four games. Also, they defeated Newcastle 2-0 last weekend, to put themselves in a good position to fight for the Champions League places.
Predicted Outcome
Considering everything, it seems this will be a very interesting match. Man United are in a better mood following Solskjaer’s departure, while Arsenal managed to stabilise themselves under Arteta. Our prediction is Manchester United will win 2-1 this time around, to make it a perfect send-off for Carrick from his interim managerial role, before Ralf Rangnick takes over next weekend.
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