Arsenal vs Manchester United Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Arsenal:
Leno; Maitland-Niles, Mustafi, Luiz, Saka; Torreira, Guendouzi; Pepe, Ozil, Aubameyang; Lacazette
Manchester United:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Shaw; Pereira, Matic, Pogba; James, Martial, Rashford
Arsenal sit on the 12th place with 24 points. This is the club worst run of results in 27 years. The fans were disappointed, so the owner Stan Kroenke was forced to sack manager Unai Emery. But nothing have changed under interim-manager Freddie Ljungberg. The overall record was just one win under his guidance, against even poorrer West Ham. It became clear Ljungberg is unable to improve the results. Kroenke decided to appoint the former player Mikel Arteta. The fans are still not sure this was the best solution. The North London club failed to record victory in the first two matches under the Spaniard. The Gunners played an 1:1 draw with relegation candidates Bournemouth on Boxing Day, while lost 2:1 to Chelsea on Sunday. It was a frustrating defeat as they lead until the 83rd minute thanks to an early goal by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. It was his 45th Premier League goal since his debut in February 2018. Nevertheless, Arsenal conceded twice in just five minutes to left the Emirats empty-handed. So far Arteta worked as Pep Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City and this is the first job as head coach. His inexperience could be a problem. The big pressure, busy festive schedule and lot of injured players are additional issues for Arteta. For this match he will be missing Kieran Tierney, Sead Kolasinac and Rob Holding, while six more players are rated as doubtful. Dani Ceballos, Hector Bellerin, Gabriel Martinelli, Sokratis and Calum Chambers are struggling with injury, while the situation with Granit Xhaka is not simple. I thought his time at Emirats came to it's end after the incident with his own fans, but Arteta said it's possible to be involved in this match.
Manchester United started the season poor, but the last results are much better. The Red Devils are on the fifth place with 31 points. They are targeting the Champions league spots, however the difference is four points at the moment. That is why the points from this match are extremely important. The actual form is good, they have improved in the last period. According to statistic, only Liverpool picked up more points than Man United over the last six games of 2019. Even better, the Red Devils are in mini-series of two victories. They managed to beat Newcastle with 4:1 at Old Trafford and Burnley with 2:0 on road. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be satisfy with the latest performance of his players. Anthony Martial scored twice against the Magpies, while 18-year-old Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford also found the back of the net. Martial and Rashford were again scorers at Turf Moor last weekend. What is more important, United have kept an away clean sheet in the Premier League for the first time since February 2019, ending a run of 14 games without a shutout on the road. The atmosphere in the squad is much better, while the players confidence is higher. Rashford had hand in 16 goals in 20 Premier League games this season - he scored 12 and assisted four. Martial, meanwhile, has been directly involved in 10 goals in his 13 Premier League starts this season. They are both ready to start in this match, although tired. Paul Pogba is expected to return to the starting eleven after sitting out of the win over Burnley. Scott McTominay, Marcos Rojo and Diogo Dalot remain sidelined, as well as long-term injury victims Eric Bailly and Timothy Fosu-Mensah.
Arsenal vs Manchester United Prediction:
This is a big derby in the Premier League. Manchester United are one short of 100 wins against Arsenal across all competitions, whereas the Gunners have won 83 of the past 231 mutual games. I expect a tight match with less than four goals. Arteta already feels the pressure, while Solskjaer enjoys the moment. However, the home advantage shouldn't be underestimated. But the players from both teams are tired after a busy festive period. This will be the third match in short period. That's the key reason for my pick. It's impossible to expect an intense game here.
Arsenal vs Manchester United Pick: Under 3.5 goals @ 1.57 with
Pinnacle