Manchester United’s January of 2021 is not the easiest of them all, but it is still going well. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side has faced Liverpool twice, they played Manchester City and are now to meet Arsenal. And they could still stay very close to the top of the Premier League standings, as they are already in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Man United are travelling to London this Saturday, as they want to get a revenge for the autumn’s loss to Arsenal at Old Trafford. Here is what you need to know ahead of this match.
Team News
Arsenal will be without Pablo Mari in central defence and Dani Ceballos in central midfield, as both are having calf issues which will keep them out of this game. Apart from that, Kieran Tierney is doubtful for the same reason, Emille Smith Rowe has had a knock that might be a problem, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is having personal issues. This Arsenal game will be interesting as we might see Martin Odegaard make his Premier League debut after he arrived on loan from Real Madrid.
Manchester United are not in the same boat as Arsenal. Only Phil Jones has knee issues which will continue to keep him out of the team and all the others could play. It will be interesting to see which starting XI Solskjaer will choose this time, as Edinson Cavani, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford will all be itching to start and get a win against the Gunners.
Form Guide
What a tough season this has been for Arsenal fans. The Gunners have at one point been much closer to the relegation zone than to European football, but that is slightly starting to change for Mikel Arteta’s side. Arsenal have been in an upturn of form ever since the Boxing Day. Prior to that game against Chelsea, they lost to Tottenham and Burnley, drew against Southampton and lost to Everton and Man City. But then started a good run of results.
Wins against Chelsea, Brighton, West Brom, Newcastle and Southampton have gone with just two goals conceded, whilst they also drew 0-0 against Crystal Palace. A 2-0 win against Newcastle in the FA Cup was later erased with a 1-0 loss to Saints in the fourth round. But the Gunners will now be able to focus more on the league, as they really need to continue climbing the ladder, currently sitting in ninth place with just 30 points from 20 matches.
Manchester United, on the other hand, have ended their great run of results. A 3-2 win against Liverpool in the FA Cup was supposed to be a huge factor in the team’s mood, but that mood was immediately suffocated by the fact the Devils lost 2-1 against Sheffield United on Wednesday. Man United are not top of the table anymore, but a win at the Emirates could be a start of a new great run.
Predicted Outcome
It is a tough one to predict, especially as both sides are capable of making both positive and negative surprises. We will go for Manchester United to win with less than 2.5 goals scored. It could be a game similar to the last one these two sides played, but this time, let’s hope it will be the Red Devils to get a 1-0 win, not Arsenal.
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