Arteta to make 5 changes | Predicted Arsenal XI vs Man United as £50m star returns
Arsenal take on Manchester United in today’s much-awaited Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners saw their seven-point lead at the top of the table cut short yesterday after Manchester City’s comfortable 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Mikel Arteta’s side are now four points ahead of the Cityzens and have the opportunity to regain their advantage with a victory over the Red Devils at home.
Arsenal are unbeaten in the league against United since 2022 and have not lost a league meeting at the Emirates since the 3-1 defeat in December 2017.
Despite this, they face a stern challenge on the back of the Red Devils’ superb 2-0 victory over Man City at Old Trafford under interim manager Michael Carrick.
Arteta could make five changes from the 3-1 Champions League win at Inter Milan on Tuesday night.
Formation: 4-3-3
Predicted Line-up:
David Raya is an undisputed starter in goal for the Gunners in the Premier League and Champions League games.
He has 11 clean sheets in the league campaign and will be eyeing another shut-out versus the Red Devils.
The backline could be identical to the goalless league draw at Nottingham Forest last weekend.
Myles Lewis-Skelly should drop to the bench alongside Cristhian Mosquera, who made his first appearance since an ankle injury in December at the San Siro.
Gabriel Magalhaes should come in to partner William Saliba in the heart of the backline.
Jurrien Timber, who started at right-back on Tuesday, should move to the opposite end. Ben White, signed for £50 million by the Gunners, looks poised to return at right-back.
Both Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie were back in full training in Friday’s session, but the duo are unlikely to make the starting XI.
They may not be up to full speed after respective injury lay-offs. Hence, Timber should continue as the makeshift left-back.
Arteta has an easy choice to make in the heart of the midfield. Martin Zubimendi is a nailed-on starter in the number six position.
Mikel Merino and Eberechi Eze did not quite justify their selections in midweek, and there should be a straight swap in the central midfield roles.
Declan Rice is expected to replace Merino, while Odegaard should come in for Eze. The latter will operate as the most advanced of the midfield trio.
Bukayo Saka had a mixed outing against the Nerazzurri. He squandered a golden scoring chance during the second half with his slow decision-making.
The Englishman could have also provided an easy assist for Viktor Gyokeres. Despite this, he should be an assured starter on the right wing ahead of Noni Madueke.
On the left wing, Leandro Trossard should get the nod over Gabriel Martinelli, given his impressive league form over the course of the campaign. The Belgian has nine goal contributions from 18 league appearances and tends to step up in the big matches.
Upfront, Arteta has a big decision to make. Gabriel Jesus scored a brilliant first-half brace against the Nerazzurri and was unlucky not to register an assist as Saka failed to convert an easy chance.
Gyokeres came off the bench and scored a brilliant long-range goal. The Swede has three goal contributions in his last three appearances for the Gunners across all competitions.
In our view, Gyokeres is Arteta’s first-choice striker in the league. The 27-year-old is likely to get the nod over Jesus in the starting XI due to his strong physical presence and hold-up play.
He could be tasked with unsettling United’s backline of Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez, creating space for his teammates. Jesus could come off the bench at the hour mark and provide a different kind of headache for the Red Devils’ backline with his quick movement in and around the box.
How Arsenal could line up vs Man Utd today
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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