[Lucky McLuckerson]

...VS

Date - Sunday, May 07 2017
Kickoff Time - 1600 Hrs GMT
Venue - The Emirates Stadium, London

League standings and form guide

5. Manchester United: WWWDD

6. Arsenal: WLWWL


Previous Meetings

Manchester United 1 : 1 Arsenal

Manchester United 3 : 2 Arsenal

Arsenal 3 : 0 Manchester United

Manchester United 1 : 1 Arsenal

Arsenal 1 : 2 Manchester United


All-Time League Record

Manchester United wins - 81
Arsenal wins - 68
Draws - 46


Pre-Match Pressers

José Mourinho



Arsène Wenger




Team News

Manchester United

Timothy Fosu-Mensah (shoulder injury), Luke Shaw (ankle injury), Marcos Rojo (knee ligament injury), Zlatan Ibrahimović (knee ligament injury) and Ashley Young (hamstring injury) ruled out. Marouane Fellaini suspended.

Arsenal

Santiago Cazorla (Plantaris injury), Jeff Reine-Adelaide and Lucas Pérez (muscle injury) ruled out. Shkodran Mustafi (thigh injury) and Granit Xhaka (ankle injury) doubtful.


Know the opposition

Arsenal Football Club (also known as The Gunners), are a professional football club based in Holloway, London, England - and were founded in 1886 as Dial Square, by the workers of the Royal Arsenal armaments facility, before being subsequently renamed as Royal Arsenal. Arsenal are one of the most successful and popular clubs in the history of the English league, with a trophy haul than includes 13 League titles, 12 FA Cups, and 2 League Cups. Since the arrival of current manager Arsène Wenger, Arsenal have built a reputation for playing an attractive, streamlined style of football that rivals some of the best teams in Europe while boasting the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira, Robert Pirès, Cesc Fàbregas and Robin Van Persie. The club plays its home games at the Emirates Stadium, and has a bitter sporting rivalry with neighbors Tottenham Hotspur in a match termed the North London Derby; apart from a competitive rivalry against the other major clubs of the Premier League, especially Manchester United - in an affair that peaked in the late 1990s-early 2000s period.


Familiar Faces

Daniel Welbeck (at United 2001-2014)​

Referee

Andre Marriner.​

 

[Damien]

Play a mixed strength side with the players on the bench today. With our fullback issues we're stuck for options there though.

De Gea
Valencia Jones Smalling Darmian
Carrick Herrera
Mkhitaryan Mata Rooney
Martial​

 

[charlenefan]

Team should be...

---------------De Gea---------------
Valencia--Jones--Smalling--Darmian
--------Carrick-------Pogba-------
Mata----------Rooney----------Mkhitaryan
---------------Martial---------------

Subs: Romero, Tuanzebe, Bailly, Blind, Herrera, Rashford, Lingard

 

[Raw]

First time in a while where I'm genuinely not sure on more than half the starting lineup.

Hope Mourinho can pull off his usual shenanigans against Arsenal.

 

[Kush]

Play a mixed strength side with the players on the bench today. With our fullback issues we're stuck for options there though.

De Gea
Darmian Jones Smalling Blind
Carrick Herrera
Mkhitaryan Mata Rooney
Martial​

Agree with this but I wouldn't put Darmian at RB, he was torn to pieces by Sanchez last time he came up against him.

 

[AndyJ1985]

Let's get a draw so we can both be put out of our misery in regards to top 4. Right now I only really care about winning the EL.

 

[Damien]

Agree with this but I wouldn't put Darmian at RB, he was torn to pieces by Sanchez last time he came up against him.

Yeah, I changed it to Valencia & Darmian RB/LB though I'd prefer to rest Valencia to be honest. So important for us.

 

[Hojoon]

I'd start a few coming back from injury (Smalling, Mata).

 

[LuisNaniencia]

Play a mixed strength side with the players on the bench today. With our fullback issues we're stuck for options there though.

De Gea
Valencia Jones Smalling Darmian
Carrick Herrera
Mkhitaryan Mata Rooney
Martial​

Perfect but would really rather rest Val and Darmian. Young getting injured is a pain.

 

[Antisocial]

Start Rooney upfront - if Rashford is out of the second leg, then we need to wrap Martial in cotton-wool until then. Same with Bailly, Pogba and maybe Blind, Herrera and Valencia if we can get away with it

 

[Hellboy]

DDG

Darmian
Jones
Smalling
Blind

Carrick
Pogba
Fellaini

Mata
Martial
Rooney

1-2

Momentum !

 

[Ali Dia]

Unfortunately has draw written all over it

 

[King Eric 7]

Fellaini is suspended for this game.

 

[AXVnee7]

Just don't lose in order to further derail Arsenal's top 4 hopes. Out of the top teams we tend to do better against Arsenal in general anyway. I'd still fancy us even with a second string side. Ultimately put in a good shift and I'll be happy regardless of result.

As far as I'm concerned our eyes should be lighting up for the EL now. We have 1 foot in the final, now we just need to shake off Vigo on the other leg.

 

[Man-United]

Crap that Young got injured. He would have played here instead of Valencia i'm sure of. He needs the rest, Val.

 

[Witchking]

We are due a loss in the league for a while now. Plus Jose spoke about resting players. Might be a 2-0 victory to Arsenal. Unless United finish well.

 

[Klopper76]

Paul Merson reckons this'll be 3-0 to Arsenal...yeah.

 

[Raoul]

Play a mixed strength side with the players on the bench today. With our fullback issues we're stuck for options there though.

De Gea
Valencia Jones Smalling Darmian
Carrick Herrera
Mkhitaryan Mata Rooney
Martial​

Perfect lineup. Resting Pogba, Rashford, Bailly, and Blind for midweek.

 

[YouOnlyLiveTwice]

Bailly, Valencia, Pogba and Rashford should be rested.

Make a team out of the rest. Don't care too much about this game tbh.

 

[Damien]

Perfect but would really rather rest Val and Darmian. Young getting injured is a pain.

Really is. I want to rest them too but don't really have any alternative at RB. Only LB alternative is Blind and I'd want to rest him.

 

[Infra-red]

No need whatsoever to play any of Bailly, Valencia, Pogba, Mkhitaryan or Martial/Rashford here. Pointless risking them.

 

[Cathy Ferguson]

I think Herrera is more in need of a rest than Pogba, hamstring issues aside. It would be ideal to not play any of them for more than 70 min on Sunday.

Rashford and Valencia should also be rested.

 

[flappyjay]

DDG

Darmian
Jones
Smalling
Blind

Carrick
Pogba
Fellaini

Mata
Martial
Rooney

1-2

Momentum !

Fellaini is suspended

 

[thegregster]

No need whatsoever to play any of Bailly, Valencia, Pogba, Mkhitaryan or Martial/Rashford here. Pointless risking them.

What if City or Liverpool feck up before we play?

 

[Bwuk]

De Gea
Valencia - Jones - Smalling - Darmian
Carrick - Pogba
Mkhi - Mata - Rooney
Martial​

 

[dannyrhinos89]

Smash and grab job

0-1 martial scoring

 

[flappyjay]

No need whatsoever to play any of Bailly, Valencia, Pogba, Mkhitaryan or Martial/Rashford here. Pointless risking them.

Also our best performances against this lot has been good with makeshift starting 11s. I think it makes harder for Wenger to predict how we are gonna play

 

[Rajma]

Managed to get hold off Arsenal away ticket, first proper away game. Feeling pumped for this one, hopefully, everyone puts in a good shift.

 

[bosnian_red]

Who gives a feck really. All about europa league. Expect a lot of rotation though with it being still arsenal away and some areas stretched to its limit, some players (pogba and herrera) have to play.

De gea
Tfm Smalling Jones Blind
Herrera Carrick Pogba
Mata martial Rooney​

 

[AgentP]

We need to rest as many as we can to keep them fresh for the return leg.

De Gea
Darmian Smalling Jones Blind
Carrick
Herrera Pogba
Mata Martial Rooney​

 

[manunited1919]

Play a mixed strength side with the players on the bench today. With our fullback issues we're stuck for options there though.

De Gea
Valencia Jones Smalling Darmian
Carrick Herrera
Mkhitaryan Mata Rooney
Martial​

We need to rest players, including Valencia, Darmian and Herrera. Get some young ones in their place.

 

[flappyjay]

DDG

Tuanzebe
Jones
Smalling
Darmian/young if fit

Fosu
Carrick
Pogba/ sub for Herrera around 70th no matter what the score is.

Juan
Martial
Wayne

 

[The Man Himself]

Too bad we can't rest fullbacks. Young getting injured makes it worse. Top 4 is very unlikely anyway so I won't mind Tuanzebe played as CB and say Jones as RB. Valencia needs rest.

 

[EvilIrwin]

No need whatsoever to play any of Bailly, Valencia, Pogba, Mkhitaryan or Martial/Rashford here. Pointless risking them.

Out of all them Bailly is probably the most important one that desperately needs a rest. Throw in Smalling with Blind, although Jones/Blind are more compatible, assuming his actually fit to play.

Rashford likely to sit out anyway due to injury, whether its serious or just a knock.

De Gea
Valencia - Jones/Smalling - Blind- Darmian
Carrick - Pogba
Mkhi - Mata - Rooney
Martial​

 

[manunited1919]

What if City or Liverpool feck up before we play?

Mourinho has already said we would be forced to rest ALL players against Crystal Palace (Sunday game) if we make it into EL final, which is the following Wednesday. So if City or Liverpool feck up, we would need to beat Arsenal away, Southampton away, and then beat CP with kids and Rooney to at least have at least the hope of making fourth.

Even though we can still mathematically make fourth, EL looks to be our only REALISTIC chance for UCL football.

 

[LuisNaniencia]

Also our best performances against this lot has been good with makeshift starting 11s. I think it makes harder for Wenger to predict how we are gonna play

That's true actually. The Rashford brace springs to mind.

 

[AndyJ1985]

Mourinho has already said we would be forced to rest ALL players against Crystal Palace (Sunday game) if we make it into EL final, which is the following Wednesday. So if City or Liverpool feck up, we would need to beat Arsenal away, Southampton away, and then beat CP with kids and Rooney to at least have at least the hope of making fourth.

Even though we can still mathematically make fourth, EL looks to be our only REALISTIC chance for UCL football.

Agreed. My attitude now is bollocks to the league, put all our eggs in the EL basket. We're a draw and a win away from winning it.

 

[manunited1919]

Agreed. My attitude now is bollocks to the league, put all our eggs in the EL basket. We're a draw and a win away from winning it.

We should use the Arsenal game as an opportunity to give some game time to Mata, Smalling and Jones, to get them match fit. We can also give Rooney game time in a sort of testimonial way. Other than that, rest Pogba, Herrera, Valencia, Blind, Bailly, etc.

 

[Art]

Rooney will score twice in a 2-2 draw.

 

[ChaddyP]

can we rest 7 players or something?

DDG
Darmian Smalling Jones Blind
Carrick Ander
Lingard Mata Martial
Rooney

​

Wish we could rest both Ander and Pogs