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| Photo from Daily Post |
It is beginning to look like it’s going to be “that” kind of a season for Manchester United, and by that, I mean full of ups, probably more downs, and a whole lot of pain.
With Arsenal coming to town tomorrow, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have the perfect opportunity to lift some of the heat off their backs, and show the fans some signs of life. Other than the last two games, the performances have not been terrible, but that doesn’t matter for much when there are no results to show for it. On Monday, United will have the chance to make a statement and show that progress is in fact being made.
This, though, being much easier said than done. United have struggled in front of goal (again) this season, especially since Anthony Martial went down with injury. And with the Frenchman unlikely to feature in the clash against the North London rivals, you just have to wonder, where are the goals going to come from?
The plus side heading into this match is that Arsenal’s defence has been as leaky as ever. The Gunners cannot stop conceding goals. But, the problem for United here is that they don’t create a whole lot of chances either, and those two don’t add up.
As for Arsenal, their attack is beginning to fire on all cylinders, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang currently in red hot form. And even though United’s defence, bolstered by the additions of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire, has been looking better this season, they are still very much mistake prone — which does not bode well against such a potent strike force.
Arsenal currently sit in 8th, three points ahead of United in 12th. A win in this game would be huge for either side, granting them a lot of momentum going into October where the quantity of fixtures significantly intensifies. The three points would slide the visitors right up into third place, just two points off second Manchester City.
For United, the victory would put them right back on par with fourth place Tottenham, and just a point off third placed West Ham. In other words, things would not look as bad as they have seemed to be so far if United are able to pull off the potential momentum swinging victory.
TEAM NEWS:
United are still deep into their injury crisis. Other than the obvious absence of Eric Bailly, United are also set to be without Martial, Shaw, Gomes, Dalot, Rashford, Jones, and possibly Paul Pogba — leaving Solskjaer with very limited options in his squad. 17-year-old Mason Greenwood is the only fit “senior” striker in the team right now, and the gaffer may just have to resort to the teenager to lead the line against the Gunners on Monday, just like a certain Marcus Rashford had to do during an injury crisis some years ago.
Things are looking much better for the visitors on the injury front. Unai Emery’s squad has recently been boosted by the priceless returns of new signing Kieran Tierney, Hector Bellerin, and Rob Holding amidst their defensive struggles. Alexandre Lacazette is set to be the only notable absentee on Monday after it was confirmed that he will be out until mid-October with an ankle injury.
PREDICTED LINEUP:
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| Graphic from buildlineup.com |
SCORE PREDICTION:
Manchester United 0-2 Arsenal
