FA Cup ties between the two sides have been thoroughly entertaining in the past and Monday's encounter can be as thrilling as ever. Both the teams are fighting for a place in the top four in the league but an FA Cup title will surely be the icing on the cake.
The Red Devils have dominated their counterparts in recent meetings and have won 11 of their last 15 matches against the Gunners, having lost just once. Both the sides come into this match with similar results in the recent games having lost just once in their last five matches. However Arsenal have been performing well and will be buoying in confidence ahead of the match. Man United on the other hand despite of having achieved favourable results have not been at their best. However Van Gaal's men have developed a knack of picking up points without performing well, something they did when they defeated Arsenal 2-1 when the two sides met at the Emirates earlier in the season. Here are five ways Van Gaal's side can secure a win on Monday.
Crowd the midfield
A strategy deployed by numerous teams when playing against the Gunners is to pack the middle of the park in order to prevent the Arsenal midfield from getting into the groove. This does not bode well for the Gunners since they predominantly operate from the middle. The likes of Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil have been impeccable for Arsenal in recent games but have suffered when playing against a crowded midfield.
For Man United to get anything out of the match it is important that Van Gaal ensures that the Arsenal midfield players are shadowed throughout the game and are not allowed much room to operate.
Target Mertesacker
The German international developed a formidable partnership with Laurent Koscielny last season but has produced a couple of disappointing performances this time around. The lanky defender who is widely known for possessing slow pace has caused Arsenal a decent amount of goals this season, especially in the game against Monaco where he was arguably at fault for two of the three goals the Gunners conceded.
Man United forwards must ensure that they target the struggling defender who can be very sluggish in one on one situations.
Play on counters
The Arsenal side of recent years has been very vulnerable when against counter attacks and this is something Man United should exploit. Their weakness was put on showcase by Monaco when the French side beat the Gunners 3-1 at the Emirates in a Champions League encounter last month.
Manchester United made use of the strategy when the two sides met in a league meeting at the Emirates early in the season. Rooney scored the second and the decisive goal as Man United broke on the counter expertly exposing Arsenal's problems.
Getting the first goal will be key to the result. Should Man United succeed in doing so they can sit back deep and defend, waiting for Arsenal to make a mistake and then strike back on a counter.
Wayne Rooney's record
This has been hardly one of his most prolific seasons but Wayne Rooney can cause oppositions a lot of problems when on song. His record against Arsenal in particular has been impressive with the 29 year old having scored 13 times against the Gunners.
The Englishman has been deployed in the midfield by Van Gaal on a number of occasions this season but it is expected that he will be leading the line for the Red Devils on Monday.
The impact of Marouane Fellaini
The Belgian was criticised for his performances in a Man United shirt during his debut campaign but has been quite an asset to his team under Van Gaal. The Dutchman has found a way to get the best out of the former Everton man who has played part in some vital goals this season.
He has rescued his team out of difficult situations a number of times this season using his height and power well inside the box. In desperate times he has operated more of a striker than a midfielder a strategy which has pre dominantly produced positive results especially in the matches against West Ham United and Preston North End. There are very few players in the Arsenal roster who can match Fellaini's strength and if needed Van Gaal could always call upon his Belgian star to produce the goods.
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