This weekend is for the Fourth round of the FA Cup, and no EPL actions. But to compensate it, 2 powerhouse of English Football will go head to head as Arsenal welcomes Manchester United. Of 16 other FA Cup ties, this is the most awaited fixture for this round.
Most of us should remember United welcoming Arsenal at Old Trafford for Premier League match. The odds for United getting anything in this match against Arsenal was very lost. Ultimately, the game ended in a 2-2 draw for Manchester United. But a lot has changed since this match. Now the odds for United winning or getting something is comparatively higher than the previous one.
Also, looking into the track record, Arsenal was unbeaten for 20 games when they played a draw at Old Trafford. Arsenal was 10 points above United in the table when Ole took the job. But a lot has changed in terms of the track record. The undefeated Arsenal after that has lost 4 matches while Manchester United collected a 7th straight win after losing to Liverpool. Both Arsenal and United have the same points, only separated by the goal difference.
Despite losing 4 times during this period, Arsenal can still not be underestimated. The same Arsenal won 2-0 against the fourth-placed Chelsea at home. It was one of the tactically good performance by Unai Emery. With Lacazette and Aubameyang up top and Ramsey behind them in a diamond, Chelsea's defender looked helpless against Arsenal attack. But Solskjaer will be high on confidence for this match. He passed his previous test of the big match against Spurs and would be looking to make it 8 wins in a row.
Team Selection
Going into the team, both team should start their first team in this match. In last round, United faced Reading. Solskjaer rested most of his first team in that match but it is likely to change this time against Arsenal. We might see most almost an unchanged side. By now, Solskjaer knows his best 11. Pogba and Rashford have been an integral part of this team. Both Pogba and Rashford now have 5 goals each under the new boss. Other than that, Sanchez would be the player everyone would be interested in. Manchester United bought Sanchez a year ago but hasn't met the expectation after he arrived at Old Trafford. He might get a chance against his old club after returning from the long injury.
For Arsenal, it would be the same story as of United. They are going to start their first team who collected a big victory last week against Chelsea and should be high on confidence. But they will miss Hector Bellerin. He is out because of injury, and might well miss the whole season. Niles should be replacing him in the right back.
Conclusion
It is going to be a tight match between these two giant English clubs. Looking into odds, Arsenal is a slight favorite to United given their weekend performance and they are playing in front of their fans at Emirates. But Solskjaer and United will not give away easily as they will be looking for the eighth straight win. For me, I will be going with United to win this one.
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