Arsenal face a decisive Premier League match on Sunday when they host Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium, if the Gunners don't win they will most likely miss out on a top-four finish for the first time since 1996. The reverse fixture in November ended 1-1 at Old Trafford, Olivier Giroud scored a late equalizer after Juan Mata had opened the scoring for the Red Devils. Arsene Wenger still has a negative record against Jose Mourinho, he never managed to defeat the Portuguese boss in a competitive match, his only victory was in the Community Shield.
Arsenal lost 2-0 to Tottenham last weekend in the North London derby, they are six points behind fourth-placed Manchester City but with a game in hand. Their only moment of happiness during the past few months was when they beat Manchester City to qualify for the FA Cup final, but even if they win the cup that won't be enough to compensate for missing out on Champions League football next season. Granit Xhaka is out with an ankle injury, but Shkodran Mustafi is ready to make his return.
Manchester United have been a bit more consistent lately, even though they are coming from two consecutive Premier League draws. They beat Celta Vigo 1-0 on Thursday to gain a solid advantage before the second leg of the Europa League semi-final, so they have an alternative route to the Champions League if they fail to finish inside the Premier League top four. Jose Mourinho said that he will focus on next week's Europa League match, so he might rest a few players unless his statement is just another one of his usual mind-games. Marouane Fellaini will certainly be out of contention as he is suspended.
Probable line-ups:
Arsenal: Cech - Gabriel, Koscielny, Mustafi - Chamberlain, Ramsey, Coquelin, Monreal - Sanchez, Ozil - Giroud
Man United: De Gea - Darmian, Smalling, Jones, Blind - Carrick, Pogba - Mata, Mkhitaryan, Martial - Rooney
My prediction: 1-1 draw.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Arsenal win - 1.91
Draw - 3.70
Man United win - 4.33
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Comments (1)
sharpe
05/07/17, 06:05:02 PM
It was a vital game especially for Man United after Liverpool drew at home with Sutton earlier in the day but Mourinho has made something like 8 changes before the...
It was a vital game especially for Man United after Liverpool drew at home with Sutton earlier in the day but Mourinho has made something like 8 changes before the vital EL semi final on Thursday and I can't really blame him for that but that definitely gave an advantage to Arsenal I think. It was the first Wenger win over Mourinho's team which is a stunning fact I think.
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