One of modern English football’s fiercest rivalries is set to be renewed on Friday in the FA Cup as Unai Emery’s Arsenal host Manchester United, who have won a perfect seven from seven under the reign of new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Arsenal go into this game on the back of a morale-boosting win over Chelsea, a result that stemmed the rot after a poor run of form had seen them collect just three wins in eight games across all competitions.
But now the Gunners take on a buoyant United with hopes of ending Solskjaer’s perfect start.
Here’s a look at a few burning issues ahead of the game.
CHANCE FOR SANCHEZ TO KICK-START REVIVAL
It hasn’t quite worked out for Alexis Sanchez since he left Arsenal – though, in fairness, the same could be said about the man who went the other way in last winter’s swap deal between these two clubs, Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Even though he’s finally gotten what he wanted at United, an attacking manager who’ll let him play with freedom, Sanchez’s injury issues have kept him from getting enough playing time during Solskjaer’s early reign.
So of course, the stage is set for him on Friday. Come back into the squad having shaken off his latest injury, just in time to return to the Emirates for the first time since he left Arsenal.
Solskjaer expects the Chile star will get a hostile reception from the Arsenal faithful, but says Sanchez is resolute enough to handle it. If he scores, all eyes will be on the celebration, or lack thereof.
But more importantly, this is a chance for Sanchez to begin his rebirth as a United player. Feed off the hostility, deliver the sort of all-action, influential performance that Arsenal fans got used to seeing, and finally begin justifying the transfer – and the hefty wage he reportedly earns – to his current employers.
ARSENAL HOPE TO MAKE USE OF EXTRA HOME ADVANTAGE
Arsenal have a decent home record against the big sides this season.
Arsenal’s record against the rest of the top six this season reads: two wins, two draws, three losses. Looking only at home games, however, that changes to two wins, one draw, and one loss – and that lone defeat came at the hands of Chelsea on the opening day of the season, when the team was still in the early stages of adjusting to Emery’s preferred style.
The other three games include a win over Tottenham in which they blew their fiercest rivals away with a superb second-half performance, a draw in which they went toe-to-toe with league leaders Liverpool, and last week’s dominant home victory over Chelsea.
This is a side that is making home advantage count in the big games. And in fact, their overall home record is the third-best in the Premier League this season.
United have the Premier League’s fifth-best away record, including a draw against Chelsea and a win over Tottenham, and a good record historically at the Emirates.
But there’s a twist to this tale, with the controversy surrounding ticket allocations for the game. Arsenal offered only 5,000 tickets to United fans instead of the available 9,000, which should make for an even more partisan atmosphere than normal, playing into Arsenal’s hands.
Will that give the home side the edge?
UNITED’S DEFENCE NEEDS TO STEP UP
On the surface, United’s defence has done well under Solskjaer. Four goals conceded in seven games is respectable, though not formidable.
Dig deeper, however, and there are still causes for concern. Cardiff City, Huddersfield, and Brighton, among the lowest scorers in the division, managed to score past this defence.
There have been only three clean sheets in this seven-game run, and one of those was thanks to David De Gea who was excellent at Wembley in the 1-0 win over Spurs. The other two came against Newcastle, joint-second-worst scorers in the league, and Championship side Reading in the previous round of the cup.
Arsenal’s attackers will no doubt be licking their lips. Only the Premier League’s top two, Liverpool and Manchester City, have scored more league goals than the Gunners this season.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette have 26 goals between them across all competitions – though it’s worrying that their next-highest scorer is Danny Welbeck, with five – and, after the display they put in during last week’s 2-0 win over Chelsea, both should start together.
United’s defence put in a battling performance in their last big game, against Tottenham, to keep a clean sheet, but this time, they won’t have De Gea between the sticks.
Sergio Romero, United’s cup keeper, has got a decent claim to be the best back-up goalkeeper in England, but the defenders in front of him will have to step up nonetheless.
Manchester United have the best attack (17 scored) and best defence (4 conceded) in the Premier League since Solskjær became manager. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/nOMKhshnwr
— Man Utd Update (@ManUtdsUpdate) January 20, 2019
