Arsenal vs Manchester United – Match Preview
Vlad1988 / Shutterstock.com
The F.A. Cup returns to the forefront this weekend and the biggest tie of the 4th Round is up first, as Arsenal play host to Manchester United at the Emirates. A fixture that will see one of the likely competition winners dumped out before we reach the month of February.
Both Unai Emery and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer will have genuine designs on adding this piece of silverware to the trophy cupboard come May and with their current league standings, the pressure to deliver that objective will be relatively high.
With the two outfits currently sitting fifth and sixth in the Premier League respectively, they find themselves on the outskirts in regard to the race for entry into next season’s Champions League competition.
Therefore, it is fair to say that in terms of success the FA Cup is the path that offers the least resistance, the question though is which one will continue to walk down it once the fixture reaches its conclusion.
Arsenal go into this game buoyed by the fact that they got the better of crosstown rivals Chelsea last weekend in Premier League action at the Emirates, a win that has subsequently opened up the race for the top four.
However, that 2-0 victory over Maurizio Sarri’s men would have been undoubtedly tempered by the fact that Hector Bellerin picked up an injury in the second half and will now be set to miss the next nine months of action.
This means that Arsenal will be without a key member of their squad for the visit of a Manchester United side who have a perfect record under new manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, one that currently stands at seven wins from seven.
The Norwegian has been in charge at Old Trafford for just over a month now and the transformation has been a hugely successful, one that was continued last weekend when the Red Devils got the better of Brighton.
The final score was a win by two goals to one, something that perhaps suggests that it was a close encounter with Chris Hughton’s men. In all fairness though, it was a tie that was all but wrapped up in the first half.
A spot kick from Paul Pogba and a well taken finish from Marcus Rashford meant that United were already comfortable by the time that Brighton got a scant consolation through their German midfielder Pascal Gross.
And that win and more importantly the performance would have solidified Rashford’s role as the number one forward at Manchester United, meaning that Romelu Lukaku may well have to make do with a place on the bench again come Friday evening.
Both teams will feel that they can get something out of this tie, although at the same time they will want to try and avoid a draw and the extra fixture that will come with a replay. With that in mind expect goals and the visitors to make it eight wins from eight under their new man in charge.
Home
Football 
Basketball
Hockey
American Football
Baseball
Rugby
Volleyball
Handball
Esoccer
