Manchester United will try to get a morale-boosting result when they host title contenders Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday. The Red Devils had a good week, advancing in both the FA Cup and the Europa League, but they still need all the points they can get in order to improve their Premier League ranking. Arsenal beat Manchester United 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium earlier this season, but they have not won at Old Trafford since the 2006-2007 season. Manchester United have won six of the last eight home matches against the Gunners.
Louis van Gaal is still under pressure as fans and pundits continue to criticize his team, but things have calmed down a bit after two consecutive wins in two different competitions. They secured their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals thanks to a 3-0 win over Shrewsbury before thrashing FC Midtjylland 5-1 in the Europa League on Thursday. But the Premier League situation is still a concern, as the Red Devils are in fifth place, six points behind fourth-placed rivals Manchester City. They are going through a serious injury crisis though as 14 first-team players are sidelined. The biggest name on that list is Wayne Rooney, while fellow striker Anthony Martial has also picked up a knock.
Arsenal were unable to pull off an upset against the mighty Barcelona in the Champions League this week, they were deservedly beaten 2-0 and have little or no hope of progressing in Europe's top competition. They can forget all about that if they win the Premier League though, and they are in a pretty good position after the 2-1 victory over Leicester last time out. That result left them just two points behind the Foxes at the top of the table, but tied with Tottenham in second spot. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain picked up a knock against Barcelona and joins Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla on the injured list. Gabriel Paulista could make his return.
Probable line-ups:
Man United: De Gea - Varela, Smalling, Blind, Rojo - Herrera, Schneiderlin - Depay, Mata, Lingard - Rashford
Arsenal: Cech - Bellerin, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal - Ramsey, Coquelin - Walcott, Ozil, Sanchez - Giroud
My prediction: 1-1 draw.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Man United win - 3.25 Draw - 3.30 Arsenal win - 2.40
sharpe
8 years ago
It was a good effort by United players, one of the very few from them this season, and it was the end (at least for me) of the champions ambitions of Arsenal. But probably the most important thing that I would remember this game is Marcus Rashford appearance, a name hat I'm sure will be mentioned a lot in future all over...
It was a good effort by United players, one of the very few from them this season, and it was the end (at least for me) of the champions ambitions of Arsenal. But probably the most important thing that I would remember this game is Marcus Rashford appearance, a name hat I'm sure will be mentioned a lot in future all over England and Europe.
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galata86 8 years ago
I agree with Milos, Rashford played very good match last Sunday. He is a very young, but the way he played in this match is perfect, although that was a debut for him in Premier league. He scored 4 goals for just 122 minutes on the pitch, that is perfect. Arsenal did not have a luck.
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milo?.sekuli?
8 years ago
This will be a close game until the end. I was delighted with Rashford , he is only 18 years old and has already managed to achieve two goals for three minutes against Arsenal, great! I didn't expect that United will be in front at halftime, I must admit. However, I think Arsenal will equalize. 2:2 final result :)
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h34dhunt3r
8 years ago
Amazing match ahead of us. Manchester United and Arsenal always bring good football in their matches, well it is still a huge derby. This time I wont give role of favourite to anyone. In midweek United survived verus Mitjiland. Arsenal on the other hand lost versus Barcelona and their physical state should be in geperdy....
Amazing match ahead of us. Manchester United and Arsenal always bring good football in their matches, well it is still a huge derby. This time I wont give role of favourite to anyone. In midweek United survived verus Mitjiland. Arsenal on the other hand lost versus Barcelona and their physical state should be in geperdy. I think we gonna see a lot of goals so I would place my money on that. My predictions: - Result: 2:2 - Man of the match: Alexis Sanchez
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