Manchester United-Arsenal is a match for the sixth day of the Premier League and is played on Sunday at 5:30pm
It’s amazing how quickly things can change in the world of football. Not even a couple of weeks ago the United environment resembled a veritable powder keg following the double defeat to Brighton and Brentford in the first two days of the Premier League and the misunderstandings between a sulking Cristiano Ronaldo and new coach Erik ten Hag. Two beatings – especially the one against the London Bees, a humiliating 4-0 – that had again shaken the club’s top management and inflamed the fans’ protest. A few days later, however, good spirits seem to have returned.
The club continued to spend large sums in the market – Casemiro arrived from Real Madrid and Antony from Ajax – while Cristiano Ronaldo remained in the end. The Portuguese did everything he could to leave, with the aim of playing in the Champions League, but could not find anyone willing to take on his salary. In the meantime, however, ten Hag’s team strung together three consecutive victories. The ‘rebirth’ came on 22 August against Liverpool: the 2-1 win over the Reds’ bitter rivals allowed Manchester United to get going again and from that moment on, De Gea and his teammates have not stopped since, also beating Southampton and Leicester, both with minimal effort.
Three successes that have brought the Red Devils closer to the Champions League zone, but also to the top of the table, given the new missteps of Liverpool and Manchester City in the advances of the sixth day of the championship. Now ten Hag and his team have the ‘task’ of avoiding a breakaway by Arsenal, the only team with a full score that in the Sunday post-match will be on stage at Old Trafford in what is the big match of this round. Mikel Arteta’s team are flying, but the challenge in Manchester represents the first real test after having faced Crystal Palace, Leicester, Bournemouth, Fulham and Aston Villa.
Gabriel
The Prediction
Manchester United are unlikely to be able to keep their goals unbroken – along the lines of the matches with Southampton and Leicester – against an Arsenal side that has always scored so far. At the same time, it cannot be denied that the Red Devils have regained some certainties. And they might be able to interrupt the Gunners’ winning streak, at least avoiding defeat in a big match that represents a probing test for both. The match at Old Trafford ultimately promises to be an eventful one, with at least three goals in total.
The Manchester United-Arsenal line-up probables
- MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Malacia; Casemiro, Eriksen; Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford; Cristiano Ronaldo.
- ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney; Xhaka, Lokonga; Saka, Smith Rowe, Martinelli; Gabriel Jesus.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-2
