The Premier League season is fast approaching its conclusion, as we enter the penultimate gameweek for the 23/24 season. Arsenal will make the trip north to Manchester to take on Man United at Old Trafford.
Manchester United vs Arsenal – Preview
Arsenal Travel to Old Trafford for Crucial Clash
At this stage last season, Arsenal were down and out, having suffered a collapse in the last few weeks of their title charge. However, they are alive and kicking this season, holding a slender lead at the top of the table. Manchester City are breathing down their necks and with the Citizens having one game in hand, Arsenal cannot afford to drop even a single game in their remaining two games of the season.
Mikel Arteta and his men are on the verge of creating history as they seek to end a 20-year-long wait for the coveted Premier League title, and face Manchester United and Everton as their final obstacles. Gunners fans worldwide will be watching with bated breath on Sunday as will Man City fans and players when the North Londoners take on United at Old Trafford. Arsenal have been near flawless of late, winning four out of their last five league games including consecutive wins against their bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspurs and Chelsea, but Manchester has not been the happiest hunting ground for Arsenal, having only won once at Old Trafford in the last 16 league games. The pressure will fully be on the Gunners heading into the tie with City playing on Saturday, as they aim to keep up with Manchester Blues and deny them a record fourth consecutive Premier League title.
Man United in Turmoil as Arsenal Eye Glory
Manchester United, on the other hand, are reeling after a humiliating 4-0 defeat against Crystal Palace in London piled more pressure onto them. The loss saw them slip to 8th in the league table as the defeat meant the Red Devils have just won one out of the last six league games. They were dominated by a rejuvenated Crystal Palace team, who ran riot against the makeshift United defense, who were further dented by the loss of Harry Maguire to injury. The pairing of Casemiro and Jonny Evans at the heart of United’s defense was brutally exposed by the Eagles, and the same pairing is expected to start on Sunday with Erik ten Hag having no other options in defense. United’s season has been thoroughly derailed by injuries, and many are questioning the intensity of the training sessions at Carrington. The club is in turmoil at the moment, and now come up against an Arsenal side who are in the form of their lives, with a win needed to keep their hopes of Europa League qualification alive.
The Red Devils have produced surprise results on numerous occasions previously, but their inability to control the game, their delicate defense and their lifeless attack have been exploited time and again this season. United fans will hope their ever present support at Old Trafford will push the team into putting up an improved performance and dent the title hopes of an age-old rival on Sunday.
When & Where?
Date: Sunday, 12th May 2024.
Time: 4.30 pm GMT.
Venue: Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, UK.
Match Officials
Referee: Paul Tierney.
Assistants: Scott Ledger, Mat Wilkes.
Fourth official: Darren Bond.
VAR: John Brooks.
Assistant VAR: Constantine Hatzidakis.
Team News
Manchester United’s injury woes have been well documented this season, but they are set to be provided some relief soon. The club confirmed that influential defender Lisandro Martinez and forward Marcus Rashford took part in first-team training this week, and could be available for selection soon. However, Martinez has suffered a couple injury setbacks this season and Erik ten Hag will be wary of rushing him back, especially with the FA Cup final on the horizon. Apart from those two, Manchester United’s injury list is every growing, with Mason Mount now added to those on the treatment table. The English midfielder picked up yet another knock in training and is set to miss the next two games with the manager hopeful he will be available for the last league game of the season. Mount joins Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof, Willy Kambwala, Harry Maguire and Anthony Martial as absentees. Maguire’s injury was another blow to the Red Devils as he too picked up an injury in training last week, just before their eventual defeat to Crystal Palace.
In some good news for United fans, Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay trained with the squad and will be available for selection against Arsenal.
Arsenal fans and Mikel Arteta will be sweating over the fitness of star forward Bukayo Saka who is a big doubt ahead of their trip to Manchester. While Saka did train, he was spotted with a bandage around his leg after he suffered a cut there in their win over Bournemouth. Arteta was hopeful that he will be available, saying that they needed another training session to assess him. Alongside Saka, there are also questions over the fitness of defender Takehiro Tomiyasu who was absent from the training session and instead trained indoors. The Gunners could also be handed a significant boost with Jurrien Timber possibly returning to the squad, having recovered from a knee injury.
Key Players
Bruno Fernandes
The captain missed the last game through injury and without him the team collapsed against Crystal Palace, showcasing the importance and weight of Fernandes in the side. He is often the hardest working player on the pitch, leading by example and his return will be a welcome sight for all United fans. Without him, the Red Devils could only manage an xG of 0.35 as there was a clear lack of creativity on Monday night. The Portuguese midfielder tops both the scoring and assist charts for United, with 15 goals and 11 assists in all competitions this season.
Martin Ødegaard
Another captain who has had a fantastic impact on his side, Ødegaard has taken up the reigns to the side seamlessly at a young age. The Norwegian is hoping to add his name to the list of illustrious Arsenal captains to have led their side to a Premier League title, and join the likes of Patrick Vieira and Tony Adams. Ødegaard has struck up brilliant partnerships with Declan Rice in the midfield and the duo have controlled games for the Gunners in the middle of the park with relative ease. He has scored 2 goals in six league games against United and will be looking to add to his tally on Sunday.
Predicted Lineups
Manchester United predicted XI vs Arsenal: Andre Onana; Diogo Dalot, Casemiro, Jonny Evans, Aaron Wan-Bissaka; Scott McTominay, Kobbie Mainoo; Alejandro Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford; Rasmus Højlund.
Arsenal predicted XI vs Manchester United: David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Martin Ødegaard, Thomas Partey, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard.