Arsenal vs. Man United Preview
Photo from Arsenal.com
Sunday's Arsenal-Man United matchup is arguably the biggest game of the season so far, and a game that could decide the champion of the Premier League is being played halfway through the season. Arsenal are atop the league table, eight points ahead of Manchester City and nine points ahead of Manchester United.
Manchester United took the first meeting between the two sides by a score of 3-1; however, that was at Old Trafford, where United have been outstanding this year. Both teams are coming in hot. Each team beat their local rival this past weekend, won four last five games, and drew the game they did not win. United drew to Crystal Palace on Wednesday, which has potentially slowed down the momentum of United.
One key factor of the game was supposed to be the battle of defensive midfielders Thomas Partey and Casemiro, but because Casemiro received a yellow card against Palace, he will now miss the Arsenal game through suspension. It is a major blow for United to lose the team's spine for such a big game.
The two sides are comparable with young managers who have made fast progress on their rebuilds this season and are doing much better than the fan and media expectations at the beginning of the year. Nevertheless, it is still a crucial game in the chase for the Premier League trophy.
United wants to toss themselves into the mixture, and Arsenal will look to slam the door shut on any chance of another Manchester club joining the race. Manchester City and their supporters will be watching the game closely, rooting for Arsenal to drop points.
Photo from Sky Sports
Key players to look to are Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes for Manchester United. Arsenal will look to Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard to make an impact for Arsenal. Bruno Fernandes has four goal contributions in his last four games and is in some of his best form since joining United.
Marcus Rashford has had a revitalization under manager Erik Ten Hag. He leads United with eight goals this year while also having three assists. For the Gooners, the tricky Norwegian Ødegaard has eight goals and five assists. The latest of the goals was a beautiful strike outside the box last weekend. Bukayo Saka leads the team in assists with seven and helps put the ball in the back of the net with six goals. Both teams will look towards these duos to cause mayhem for the other team.
