At the moment, neither club looks destined to win the Premier League, but both will look to earn three important points this evening. A meeting between the red devils and the gunners was once the fixture to watch in the EPL, now, those days seem so distant.
The Emirates will play host to what should be an entertaining fixture. One point doesn't really do either side any good, and given both their defensive concerns, fans should see a few goals this evening.
Louis van Gaal's side has struggled to find any sort of consistency since his arrival. With the number of injuries they have within the squad, things don't look to be getting any easier for the Dutch manager.
Absences for today's match include Falcao (calf), Rojo (shoulder), Phil Jones (shin), Jonny Evans (ankle), Rafael (hamstring) & Daley Blind (knee). Along with that long list, De Gea, Michael Carrick and Di Maria were a concer for van Gaal, but all signs point to all three being able to play.
Arsene Wenger's injury problems may be better, but they aren't anything to write home about.
While the Arsenal manager was happy to announce the return of Olivier Giroud after recovering from a fractured foot, Theo Walcott has been ruled out with a groin injury he picked up while on international duty. Mikel Arteta may also be available, but it will all be up to Wenger to decide if he's match fit or not. Former red devil Danny Welbeck also returned with a slight knock, but the England international will likely do his best to lineup against the manager who showed him the door in the summer.
With all the pieces in place, looking at this match on paper, it's difficult to not expect goals. Manchester United will likely have a central defensive pairing of Smalling and Blackett, two players who are far from the level United is used to having, and needs. On the opposite side of it all, the hosts could feature Mertesacker and Monreal, which as we've seen lately, is hit or miss.
Monreal is an outside back, and while in some matches he hasn't been all that bad in the center of the back four, him and Mertesacker clearly lack that chemistry that the injured Koscielny can bring to the table.
Fans from either side will be covering their eyes in fear of what the outcome of this match could be, while neutrals should grab themselves some popcorn because they should be in for highly entertaining 90 minutes of football from the Barclays Premier League.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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