Arsene Wenger his side back to Old Trafford for the second time this season on Sunday, after suffering a shock 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Swansea on Monday night.
That result damaged the team’s hopes of securing their first top two finish in 10 years, with 2nd placed Manchester City possessing the superior goal difference, despite Arsenal’s game in hand.
The Gunners will definitely be looking to repeat the heroics of their FA Cup victory against Manchester United, to record their first league win on this ground since 2006.
Team News
Arsenal – The away side will again be without the services of Danny Welbeck, who was initially backed to return in time to face his former side.
The man who scored the priceless winner during the sides’ FA Cup quarter-final tie back in March, has been nursing a knee injury a the last few weeks and hasn’t returned to fitness ahead of this weekend’s clash.
More bad news is that of the fitness of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has suffered a fresh injury setback after damaging his groin during training this week. This comes as very disappointing news, as he’s now also a doubt for the FA Cup final at the end of the month.
Elsewhere, Mathieu Debuchy (Hamstring) and Mikel Arteta both lack match fitness are both short for the trip to Manchester, but Aaron Ramsey who was also feared injured should be available for selection.
Manchester United – club captain Wayne Rooney and defender Luke Shaw have both been ruled out after picking up injuries during the side’s 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace last weekend. Marcos Rojo, Angel Di Maria are doubts.
Former Gunners striekr Robin van Persie who hasn’t lost a single game against Arsenal since moving to Manchester United, could also miss out on this weekend’s encounter, whilst Michael Carrick and Rafael are out of the rest of the season.
Predicted Line-Ups
After the lacklustre and lethargic showing on Monday night, this is a game Arsene Wenger cannot afford to play Aaron Ramsey out wide again. The Welshman himself has voiced his frustration at playing as a make-shift winger, and rightly so, as he’s doesn’t provide the pace of width to drag defenders around the pitch.
Having said that, I can see Wenger remaining with his current system, which could be a very bad move indeed. it’ll be interesting to see if Jack Wilshere gets a start or not, but again I doubt the manager will shuffle his pack too much.
Arsenal:Â Ospina, Bellerin, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Ozil, Ramsey, Alexis, Giroud
Subs: Szczesny, Gabriel, Gibbs, Flamini, Rosicky, Wilshere, Walcott
Man Utd:Â De Gea, Valencia, Jones, Smalling, Blind, Fellaini, Herrera, Mata, Young, Falcao,