Arsenal stumbled against Fulham last weekend and if they are not careful then they could drop points this Sunday as well because are going to host Manchester United.
United are still figuring out themselves this season so the Gunners have a great chance of picking up a win and getting their confidence back but Mikel Arteta will need to be really careful with his team selection.
Last season, Arsenal narrowly missed out on the Premier League so everyone will be hoping they can maintain the same level of performances this time around as well. On paper, the Gunners will have the slight edge on Sunday but it is going to be a very tightly fought contest and we think one or maybe two goals will decide the outcome of this match.
The last five matches between these two sides have not ended in a stalemate and if Arsenal can win on Sunday then they could return to the top of the table, based on the other results this weekend.
Arsenal’s team news and injuries:
Jurrien Timber is the biggest absentee for the Gunners as the summer signing is out with a knee injury and will not return to action before the new year.
Against Fulham, Mikel Arteta made a few surprising changes to his back line by using Thomas Partey as the right-back and keeping Zinchenko on the bench. There’s no way the manager will make such risky calls this weekend which means Gabriel will return to central defence with Ben White moving to the right-hand side.
Thomas Partey will return to his familiar role in central midfield and that’s going to be a big blow for Kai Havertz who played as a wide midfielder against Fulham. Havertz has failed to make an impact as an Arsenal player and now that Gabriel Jesus is back, the former Chelsea man is expected to move to the bench.
Fabio Vieira had a great outing as a sub last weekend but we don’t think Mikel Arteta is going to reward him with a start when Manchester United come to town.
Joringho is also available to the Arsenal manager but now that the club have signed Declan Rice, Jorginho has fallen down the pecking order.
Gabriel Jesus has returned from his injury and came on as a 90-minute sub last weekend so he will be in line to start against Manchester United. Leandro Trossard played as a centre-forward in the 2-2 draw against the Cottagers but if Jesus is starting then he will move to the bench.
Arsenal predicted line up vs Man United:
Predicted starting XI(4-3-3): Ramsdale; Zinchenko, William Saliba, Gabriel, Ben White; Rice, Thomas Partey, Odegaard; Martinelli, Jesus, Bukayo Saka.
