13/2Man Utd (4-2-3-1): André Onana; Diogo Dalot; Casemiro; Jonny Evans; Aaron Wan-Bissaka; Kobbie Mainoo; Sofyan Amrabat; Amad Diallo; Scott McTominay; Alejandro Garnacho; Rasmus Højlund;
Arsenal (4-3-3): David Raya; Benjamin White; William Saliba; Gabriel Magalhães; Takehiro Tomiyasu; Martin Ødegaard; Thomas Partey; Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka; Kai Havertz; Leandro Trossard;
Arsenal visit Old Trafford in round 37 of the English Premier League. Yesterday, Manchester City knocked the Gunners off the top, and they achieved another resounding success on Saturday – 4:0 over Fulham. Thus, until the end of the season for both teams, there are only two matches left. Today, we will find out if Arteta’s boys can climb back to the top, at least until Tuesday, when Manchester City will visit Tottenham.
With a lot of injuries in the squad, Manchester United is living a nightmare in the league. The team has slumped to eighth place and could be out of European club competitions if they do not win the FA Cup final. Last week, the Red Devils conceded a vast defeat at Selhurst Park, where they were thrashed 4-0 by their hosts Crystal Palace. The success over Sheffield United on April 24 remains the only one for Manchester United in over two months now.
At the end of the season, Arsenal are playing their best football, but in all likelihood, even that will not be enough for the title. If City become champions again, countless times the Reds fans will go back to that 0-2 defeat against Aston Villa at home. All four league games after that were won, including the London derbies with Chelsea (5-0) and Tottenham (3-2). A week ago, the Gunners also ran over Bournemouth 3-0 at home.
In the autumn, Arsenal won the derby with Manchester United relatively easily 3:1, but at Old Trafford, they lost their last two visits, although they had a better season than their opponents and finished ahead of them. In the current campaign, the Red Devils are also showing a not-so-bad face at home, where they are in better form and winning most of their points. The Gunners, on the other hand, have triumphed in 66% of their away league games this season.
With what both teams have put on display lately, I don’t see how Manchester United can get anything out of this match. Their chance lies at home, but the infirmary is packed, with the team’s entire central defence there and the attack lacking the creative pieces. Mikel Arteta can rely on almost all his players to establish intense pressure and score a goal early in the match.