After a contrasting week in Europe, Arsenal and Manchester United face off on Sunday in a crunch clash as the two sides battle it out for a spot in the Premier League‘s top four.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United pulled off a miraculous win against Paris Saint-Germain, beating the French league leaders 3-1 in Paris on Wednesday to advance to the Champions League quarter-finals, but a day later Unai Emery’s Arsenal were losing by the same scoreline to a Rennes side 34 points behind United’s opponents in Ligue 1.
Only one point separates fourth-placed United and fifth-placed Arsenal, who have managed four goals in each of their two meetings this season as the sides shared the points in December after a chaotic 2-2 draw in Manchester before Solskjaer masterminded a 3-1 FA Cup win in London at the end of January.
SOLSKJAER’S RUTHLESS STREAK MAY BE ON SHOW
United’s midweek win was the high point of Solskjaer’s remarkable reign at the club, a result that has almost certainly secured the permanent managerial job for the club legend and has lifted spirits for everyone at Old Trafford. A minor inconvenience stemming from the result, however, is the selection headache it’s provided for the Norwegian.
Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic are both set to return from injuries on Sunday, while Paul Pogba only missed the game in Paris through suspension. The Frenchman is probably the only one guaranteed to walk back into Solskjaer’s starting XI.
Herrera and Matic have formed the backbone of most of the manager’s unbeaten start to life at the club, but not only have United won the last three games without them, the performances of Fred and Scott McTominay in Paris mean dropping them would be cruel.
Managing a football team can be a ruthless job and the coming weeks will show just how much the affable, much-loved club idol can maintain morale when he has to make the hard decisions. Sunday might be slightly easier – he can leave Herrera and Matic on the bench saying they need time to regain full match fitness or that Fred and McTominay need rest – but he’ll have to drop two players soon enough.
Fred’s game by numbers vs. PSG:
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) March 6, 2019
32/39 passes completed
7 ball recoveries
6/6 accurate long balls
3 tackles won
2 fouls won
Showed his UCL experience. 🇧🇷🔥 pic.twitter.com/IdMBtCLwRm
MKHITARYAN MAY PLAY WITH POINT TO PROVE
Henrikh Mkhitaryan may approach this game with a point to prove – though the man he would most like to prove it to will be watching from thousands of miles away.
Jose Mourinho brought the playmaker to England in 2016, but it never quite worked out for him at United, and last winter’s move to Arsenal in a deal that sent Alexis Sanchez the other way seemed to be the best decision for all parties involved.
Given Sanchez’s decline since then, United would probably beg to differ, and the form Mkhitaryan has started showing in recent weeks at Arsenal may make some wonder how he’d fare in Solskjaer’s new, attacking outfit.
Mourinho could be permitted to have a chuckle at the most recent development in the 30-year-old’s career – on Thursday, Emery said he trusted Mkhitaryan to play at right-back, an ironic turn of events since the move from Manchester to London was supposed to help him flourish in a role where he was freed from defensive responsibilities.
But Emery’s faith in the former Borussia Dortmund star shows how far he’s come in a year at Arsenal. Meanwhile, entering last week’s game against Tottenham, Mkhitaryan had managed two goals and three assists in two games, and it was his pass that set up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s penalty which the striker duly missed. The Armenian truly is beginning to thrive.
Mkhitaryan in the Premier League.
— WeAreÖzil (@WeAreOzil) February 27, 2019
Man United 39 games, 6 assists
Arsenal 27 games, 8 assists.pic.twitter.com/8v9xlF75U6
ARSENAL’S HOME FORM COULD BE TRUMPED BY UNITED’S AWAY RUN
If Arsenal could replicate their home form in their away games, they’d be title contenders. Their record at the Emirates this season is the joint-second-best in the league, with their only loss at home coming on the first day of the season as Emery had the unenviable task of facing Manchester City – the only team to take more points at home than the Gunners – on his Arsenal debut.
Normally that would be a reason to go into this game with confidence, even on the back of Thursday’s loss to Rennes in the Europa League – another poor away performance. But only Tottenham and Liverpool have more points away from home in the league than United, who have won nine straight away from home across all competitions – a perfect record on their travels under Solskjaer.
That run includes Wednesday’s dramatic win in Paris, the sort of result that would make United feel they could beat anyone, anywhere. And it also includes a win at the Emirates, Arsenal’s home record notwithstanding.
Memories of that 3-1 FA Cup win earlier in the year will be fresh in the mind for both sides – not least because of Jesse Lingard’s dance after scoring the Red Devils’ second goal. United pulled off a classic counter-attacking win, and Arsenal know their home fortress can be vulnerable. Do the visitors actually have the edge in this game?
Man Utd have won every single game away from home under Ole Ole Gunnar Solskjær:
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) March 6, 2019
WWWWWWWWW
Goals: 23
Conceded: 4
Clean sheets: 5
When Ole’s at the wheel, anything is possible. 🚗 pic.twitter.com/ILkUpowupS
