On Monday, English Premier League giants Manchester United and Arsenal will lock horns in a highly-anticipated FA Cup clash. The Gunners will travel to Old Trafford for the quarter-final encounter, with both Arsene Wenger and Louis Van Gaal eyeing a spot in the last-4.
The Gunners, the reigning champions, look to welcome Nacho Monreal back to the squad, as well as Wojciech Szczesny, but will be without January signing Gabriel Paulista for the tie. Arsenal will require the attacking talents of Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil to be on par as they seek to defend their crown.
The Red Devils on the other hand, will be hoping home advantage will pave the way for progression as their Dutch tactician aims to end his first season in England with silverware.
Who will come out victorious? Here, we will take a look at eight key facts to bet on in this FA Cup matchup.
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Sanchez to underperform: Despite returning to his goalscoring form vs QPR, Sanchez appears destined to disappoint, especially with Ozil expected to start. The Chilean star’s stats have suffered a huge drop since the German playmaker’s return.
Sanchez before and after Mesut Ozil's return from injury. (NOTE: Stat is before the Chilean's goal vs QPR)
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Assist king Ozil to do what he knows best: In 2015, no English Premier League player has racked up more assists than Mesut Ozil. The German also boasts most chances created by a single player and has the third best pass accuracy since the turn of the new year among the Arsenal squad.
Mesut Ozil's stats compared to that of the other top CAM's in the Premier League... pic.twitter.com/cNxqlFLlwj
— Ryan Fatone (@rfatone1) March 7, 2015
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Giroud to continue his goalscoring exploits: The Frenchman has scored 10 goals in his last 14 games for Arsenal in all competitions. Plus, he has already found the back of the net once before against David De Gea.
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Di Maria to be subbed off: Don’t be too surprised if you see the Argentine exiting the pitch during the second half. The Argentine has only managed 3 goals so far, not worthy of a player who cost £59.7m.
Di Maria vs Ozil
Goals this season Terry + Ivanovic = 12 Di Maria + Falcao = 8 #CFC #MUFC (h/t @XdriXn18) pic.twitter.com/YlrK5kXcNy
— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) March 9, 2015
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Wenger to prevail? In his 18-year history at the club, Le Prof has only lost once in 13 FA Cup quarter-final games.
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Or Man United to knock out the champions? Arsenal’s only loss in the last-8 came at the hands of Manchester United, though, back in 2010-11.
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Old Trafford – a blessing in disguise: The tie at Old Trafford is dreaded by many of the Arsenal faithful, mainly down to the club’s horrendous record at the Theatre of Dreams. The Gunners have failed to beat the Red Devils on the road since 2006. Nonetheless, according to the stats, an away tie at the quarter-final stage could not have been better. The north London side have been eliminated from the competition at this stage seven times when playing at home, but only five when they were the away side.
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The De Gea Effect: Van Gaal’s crew have made 25 errors leading to shots on their goal, the second worst in the English Premier League, but have conceded from only two of them.
When weighing in all the stats, they tip the scale in Arsenal’s favor. However, looking at the Gunners’ track record against Manchester United, and their inability to secure a win at Old Trafford, this may prove the end of the road for the FA Cup holders.
Prediction: Man United 2-1 Arsenal
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