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This Monday morning (AEST), Arsenal and Manchester United will write another chapter in their Premier League rivalry. With the sides within three points of each other in the top four, this match has serious implications.
Louis van Gaal’s team have hit form since the arrival of young Frenchman Anthony Martial, winning three league games in a row to lead the table at the end of a round for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge.
United started the season struggling to put the ball in the back of the net, and Wayne Rooney is still in some of the worst form of his career, but as a unit they have put those dilemmas behind them. Three goals in each of their last three Premier League wins sees United as the form team in the competition, with Tottenham close behind.
Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal had their best result of the season with a 5-2 victory away to Leicester City last week, and Arsenal fans were ecstatic at the performance of hat-trick hero Alexis Sanchez.
The Gunners had an end-to-end battle with Leicester and although the final score may not do the competitiveness of the match justice, Wenger’s side are now one win behind Manchester United in the top four.
It was the perfect way to bounce back from Arsenal’s bitter loss to Chelsea the week before and fans will be buoyed by their team’s success up front, including the continuing improvement of Theo Walcott in the striker’s role.
Most recently, in the UEFA Champions League, Arsenal fell to Greek side Olympiakos at home, with Wenger coming under fire for some of his squad rotations, especially selecting Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina over first-choice keeper Petr Cech.
The shock loss not only leaves them in danger of not qualifying for the next stage of the Champions League, it may have dented momentum gained from last week’s big win.
Manchester United on the other hand showed composure after conceding early at home to German side Wolfsburg to win 2-1. Once again led by key performances by Juan Mata, Martial and the ever-improving Chris Smalling, United seem to have finally hit their straps, netting 11 times in their last four games.
The Red Devils are a different team since the arrival of Martial, with his impact on the squad virtually immediate, but this is the biggest test of their season so far.
Arsenal, with Cech back in the side among others, will likely be a more composed side than against Olympiakos, looking to make amends for their midweek loss.
Prediction
Both sides have the quality to create plenty of chances, so look for United’s attacking potency to continue and for Wenger to field Arsenal’s best possible side in an entertaining draw that will be the game of the season so far.
Arsenal 2-2 Manchester United
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