Arsenal will be hoping they can beat an in-form Manchester United team on Sunday as they look to build momentum behind their own title charge.
Kick Off: 16:00 Sunday 4th October (BST)
Venue: Emirates Stadium
Last Season: Arsenal 1-2 Man Utd
Absentees
Arsenal: Arteta (thigh, 17 Oct), Flamini (17 Oct), Koscielny (both hamstring, 24 Oct), Wilshere (fractured leg, Dec), Welbeck (knee, Feb), Rosicky (knee, unknown).
Manchester United: Herrera (doubt), Rojo (hamstring, 17 Oct), Shaw (broken leg, Apr)
Arsenal
Arsenal need to respond from the Olympiacos defeat. With the club all but out of the Champions League, it now becomes essential that the team perform at the highest level in the league, otherwise it will be another season where the team have under-performed in both major competitions.
Central to that will be the productivity of the teams attack. They won’t get many chances against a Manchester United team that has conceded just 5 all season – the fewest in the league. Alexis Sanchez will have to be at his stunning best, whilst Theo Walcott will need to continue his recently clinical form as the clubs lone striker.
One to watch: Alexis Sanchez
Four goals in his last two games and an incredible hat trick against Leicester in our last Premier League game, Alexis is well and truly back, and it means Arsenal have moved to a whole new level. Alexis can do something out of nothing, and he might need to do if the Gunners are to win on Sunday.
Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Cech; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Gabriel, Monreal; Coquelin, Cazorla; Ramsey, Ozil, Alexis; Walcott
Man Utd
With five wins from their first seven games, Louis van Gaal has started to install that winning mentality into the United players again. Goals, which looked like they were going to be hard to come by, have flown out of the team lately, with nine scored in the last three league games. Juan Mata’s growing influence combined with Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial’s pace has proven to be too much to handle for the likes of Liverpool and Southampton, but can the Gunners handle them?
One to watch: Anthony Martial
Martial’s price-tag has been criticised, but the Frenchman has so far shown why United were willing to invest so much into him. He looks up for every game, and will be particularly pumped for such a big game against the Gunners. With Laurent Koscielny out, Gabriel and Per Mertesacker will need to form a strong bond to keep the electric forward quiet.
Man Utd XI (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Young; Schweinsteiger, Carrick; Mata, Rooney, Depay; Martial
Prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Man Utd
As much as I hope the Gunners win this one, I am very sceptical heading into it. Manchester United are in the form of their lives, perhaps playing the best football since Louis van Gaal took over. The Gunners look vulnerable defensively recently and will have to stop Juan Mata to have a chance of winning the game.