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Manchester United have not been at their best this season but they will be hoping to clinch one of the European places as we edge closer to the end of the season. Meanwhile, Arsenal, one of the Premier League title challengers this campaign, will be keen to keep the dream alive when they visit Manchester.
Manchester United, the Red Devils, have had a roller-coaster campaign under Coach Erik Ten Hag, and at some point, it has been comical. Harry Maguire, who was one of the worst players at the club last season has become one of the best players. Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford, who was the main man in attack has dropped form so much that youngster Alejandro Garnacho has taken over his place in the starting eleven.
Manchester United’s disappointing campaign started with their transfer decisions. Following the departures of Elanga, Dean Henderson, Alex Telles, Eric Bailly, and Mason Greenwood, Manchester United made strategic additions to their squad, welcoming Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount, Andre Onana, Sofyan Amrabat, Johnny Evans, and Sergio Reguillon.
Their poor transfer decisions have haunted them this season, and that has seen them lose embarrassingly to teams like Tottenham, Arsenal, Newcastle United, Manchester City, and Brighton. The smaller teams have also had their bite of the cherry, with Crystal Palace, and Bournemouth. Onana has been a shadow of the goalkeeper he was at Inter Milan, making some mistakes which have cost the club.
Nonetheless, the Red Devils have also picked up a few decent results, beating Chelsea 2-1 and thrashing Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park before a goalless draw at Anfield with Liverpool. Apart from that, they dropped out of the UEFA Champions League, and lost to Forest and West Ham on the road. United sit just outside the top 5 and a run of fine results could propel them to greater heights before the season comes to an end.
Meanwhile, Andre Onana has improved greatly since the AFCON ended but he has been left to face so many shots, hence, conceding goals has become a usual thing. United have reached the FA Cup semifinals but their performances in the league have been short of consistency and that is why they might not be playing in the Champions League next season. As of the time of writing, the Manchester side has 50 points from 32 games and 10 points adrift of the final Champions League spot.
The Gunners are sure of playing in the Champions League for a successive season but they have the title chase on their hands for this one. On the other hand, the Cherries have already secured their spot in the Premier League for another season and have absolutely nothing to worry about when they come into this clash.
Arsenal had a title challenge last season before falling at the final hurdle to Manchester City/ After that strong performance, the Gunners experienced a flurry of activity during the summer transfer window, witnessing significant player departures and notable acquisitions. Long-time servant Granit Xhaka departed for Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga. At the same time, Folarin Balogun moved to Monaco, goalkeeper Matt Turner to Nottingham Forest, Pablo Mari to Monza in the Italian Serie A, and Rob Holding to Crystal Palace.
Several players also went out on loan, with Kieran Tierney joining Real Sociedad, Nuno Tavares to Nottingham Forest, and promising winger Marquinhos to FC Nantes. Nicolas Pépé, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, and Sambi Lonkonga left on free transfers, finding new homes at Trabzonspor, Olympique Lyon, and Luton Town, respectively.
On the recruitment front, Arsenal secured prominent signings, including Declan Rice from West Ham, Kai Havertz from London rivals Chelsea, Jurrien Timber from Ajax Amsterdam, and the current starting goalkeeper David Raya on loan from Brentford.
On the pitch, Arsenal had a fine start to the season beating Nottingham Forest 2-1 before going ahead to beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at Selhurst Park with a strong defensive display. That result was followed by a 2-2 draw with Fulham at home then a run of back-to-back wins over Manchester United and Everton before a 4-0 win in the UEFA Champions League. Upon return to the Premier League, Arsenal drew 2-2 with Spurs before another run of three consecutive Premier League wins over Brentford, Bournemouth, and champions Manchester City.
The first defeat of the season came in round 11 against Newcastle in controversial fashion. Having put that defeat behind them, the Gunners embarked on six consecutive wins in all competitions before a second loss of the season to Aston Villa. Arteta’s men ended the year with two consecutive losses against West Ham United and Fulham in the London derbies. Since then, the Gunners have been superb in 2024 dropping points only once against Manchester City. As of the time of writing, they sit top of the pile by goal difference.
Match tickets
The epic match at Old Trafford in Manchester kicks off on Sunday, 12th of May 2024 at 16:30 GMT.
The magnificent 74,310-capacity stadium will host this clash between two eternal rivals as the season is winding up.
Getting tickets for Manchester United vs Arsenal tickets could take a lot of work given the standard of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels.
Team news
Line-ups
Manchester United have battled a lot of injuries all season and they might just have several players missing once again. Tyrell Malacia is not expected to feature again this season, Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, and Victor Lindelof are also not expected to feature. While Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and Raphael Varane should be fine and available for this crucial fixture.
Manchester United XI: Onana, Diogo Dalot, Maguire, Kambwala, Wan-Bissaka; Mainoo, Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, Garnacho, Rashford, Højlund
Mikel Arteta has been able to call on the full complement of his squad in recent weeks. Apart from the likes of Fabio Viera (groin) and JurienTimber (knee), the squad is relatively fit and good to go in games. Raya has remained the undisputed number one this campaign and will be called upon to be in goal again. Meanwhile, Kai Havertz, who has been key in recent weeks, will feature for the visitors in this game.
Arsenal XI: Raya, Kiwior, Saliba, Gabriel, White, Havertz, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Jesus, Martinelli
Prediction
Manchester United have blown hot and cold all through the season and they have not had real momentum going forward for them. As for Arsenal, they have been in the title race since the start of the campaign and this particular fixture could play a huge part in their season.
Being a rival match, Manchester United might just show enough character, but the Gunners should be able to grind out a win.
Manchester United 1-2 Arsenal
