Arsenal vs. Manchester United: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Stream and TV Info
This season, Arsenal against Manchester United feels like it has reclaimed some of its relevance to the situation at the top of the Premier League.
Heading into the weekend, it was United at the summit with Arsenal just three points behind. Although Sergio Aguero’s five-star showing for Manchester City has allowed them to since jump to the head of the pack, this match will still hold huge significance for both these teams.
Arsenal will be desperate to put things right having suffered a dispiriting defeat to Olympiakos in their last game. United, meanwhile, will want to maintain both their momentum and their lead over Arsene Wenger’s men. It promises to be an enthralling encounter.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Date: Sunday, October 3
Time: 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET
Location: Emirates Stadium, London
Television coverage: Sky Sports 1 / Sky Sports 1 HD (U.K. only), NBCSN (U.S. only)
Streaming: Sky Go (U.K. only)
Form
Arsenal
L (1-2) vs. Dinamo Zagreb
L (2-0) vs. Chelsea
W (1-2) vs. Tottenham
W (2-5) vs. Leicester City
L (2-3) vs. Olympiakos
Manchester United
L (2-1) vs. PSV
W (2-3) vs. Southampton
W (3-0) vs. Ipswich
W (3-0) vs. Sunderland
W (2-1) vs. Wolfsburg
Three defeats in Arsenal’s last five games have raised questions over Arsenal’s title credentials. However, their last Premier League outing against Leicester was their most fluent of the campaign thus far. Wenger must hope his team can recapture that kind of performance against United.
Louis van Gaal’s men, meanwhile, seem to be in a good rhythm, with four consecutive wins under their belt. New signings are settling and the team finally seem to be enacting their manager’s instructions on the field.
United are unbeaten in their last four visits to the Emirates so will be optimistic of returning north with a positive result under their belt.
The Managers
Arsene Wenger and Louis van Gaal are two of the Premier League’s elder statesman. There is a deep mutual respect between the two veterans, who are both hoping to provide a glorious final flourish to their distinguished careers by leading their respective teams back to a title victory.
Arsenal go into this game under significant pressure after their midweek defeat against Olympiakos. However, Wenger is in bullish mood, Arsenal.com:
"We are on the back of three or four good results in the Premier League. Yes, we had a disappointment in the Champions League, and we have to analyse it well. It was disappointing to lose, but overall every competition is different, you have to go in a different competition in a different state of mind and we have to be inspired by what we did at Leicester.
"
Amid the storm, Wenger has found an ally in his United counterpart. Van Gaal said, per Jamie Jackson of the Guardian:
"I think that he’s doing great work. When you can, like Sir Alex Ferguson, stay in a club for such a long period of time, you have to be very good, otherwise you shall not succeed. So I think Arsène Wenger is one of the best coaches of this world, and the same thing with Sir Alex, who I think is the best, because he won the most titles, for example. Arsène Wenger, when you are with one club for such a long time, and everyone is satisfied – the fans, the board, the players – then you are very good, believe me.
"
Generous sentiments, but any camaraderie will surely be put to one side come Sunday afternoon's showdown.
Team News
Arsenal
Francis Coquelin returned against Olympiakos and will be required on Sunday, as both his purported back-ups—Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini—are out with injury.
Laurent Koscielny picked up a hamstring problem against the Greek champions and will miss the next three weeks, so Gabriel Paulista will return to the side next to vice-captain Per Mertesacker. Olivier Giroud returns from his European suspension, but he is unlikely to wrest a starting spot away from Theo Walcott.
Aaron Ramsey and Nacho Monreal were both left out of the starting XI against Olympiakos, but they will surely return to face United. That will mean Kieran Gibbs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain dropping to the substitutes' bench.
The change most Arsenal fans will want to see is in goal: After David Ospina’s clanger in the Champions League, Petr Cech will be restored as the No. 1 goalkeeper.
Predicted Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Petr Cech; Hector Bellerin, Per Mertesacker, Gabriel Paulista, Nacho Monreal; Francis Coquelin, Santi Cazorla; Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez; Theo Walcott
Manchester United
Manchester United welcome back Michael Carrick, who has recovered from the minor injury that kept him out of the match with Wolfsburg. However, Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera remains a major doubt.
Van Gaal is likely to persist with Anthony Martial as his centre-forward, with Wayne Rooney afforded license to drop into deeper areas and act as a creative force. Rooney has a terrific record against Arsenal, and having ended his goal drought last weekend against Sunderland he’ll be confident of causing them further pain at the Emirates Stadium.
Predicted United XI (4-2-3-1): David de Gea; Antonio Valencia, Chris Smalling, Daley Blind, Matteo Darmian; Michael Carrick, Morgan Schneiderlin; Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney, Memphis Depay; Anthony Martial
Players to Watch
Arsenal: Gabriel Paulista
This match will be an interesting test of Gabriel’s temperament. The last time he was picked for a big game, against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, he was sent off for retaliating against Diego Costa.
Although his suspension was subsequently rescinded, it will be fascinating to see how the Brazilian copes with another pressure-cooker atmosphere. You can be certain that the likes of Wayne Rooney will gladly engage in similar mind games to Costa, hoping to provoke Gabriel into another moment of madness. The centre-half must keep his calm if he’s to make it through the game unscathed.
Manchester United: Anthony Martial
Gabriel’s defensive qualities will be tested by Manchester United newcomer Martial. With four goals in his last five games, the Frenchman will be a major threat to the Gunners back line.
Speed is his most obvious quality, although his movement is as intelligent as it is rapid. Martial will be instructed to avoid Gabriel and pull on to the significantly more ponderous Mertesacker. In a straight foot-race between Martial and the German there will only be one winner. Arsenal must make sure to avoid being caught too high up the field, or Martial will surely punish them.
James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
