Arsenal vs Manchester United – Match Preview and Predictions for the FA Cup Match

Both sides will head into this game filled with confidence. Manchester United are currently enjoying a 7-game winning streak since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed as caretaker manager, while Arsenal are returning from a 2-0 victory against Chelsea.

While both football clubs will have their sights on the top-four positions within the Premier League, they also want to succeed in the FA Cup campaign. Emery will be looking to secure his first trophy for Arsenal in his first season, while Solskjaer is well aware of the tradition of this tournament for Manchester United.

Match Preview

In the Premier League, they are level on points with only three goals separating the two clubs. Therefore, this FA Cup match between Manchester United and Arsenal couldn’t be more appealing. The fact that both clubs head into this game with a feeling that they have a decent chance of winning only offers more excitement to the world of football.

Arsenal might have been quite inconsistent over the last few months, but the way Arsenal overrun and outmanoeuvred Chelsea recently was phenomenal, indicating how much work has been achieved during training between Arsenal and Unai Emery. Once Emery decides to utilise it, the partnership between Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is enough to petrify any defence within Europe as the duo were key in the astonishing victory over Chelsea.

Meanwhile, Manchester United, under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, finally give the impression of a true football team that have managed to win a record-breaking seven matches since the Norwegian was appointed in December last year. With that in mind, you can expect to see a fantastic match between these two giants as both will be searching for progression into the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Head-to-Head

The match on Friday night will be the 229th game between the two football clubs where Manchester United currently has the upper hand where they won 98 times against 82 times for Arsenal. For several years, matches between these two football clubs usually decided the Premier League title along with other prestigious trophies. However, in recent years, its all about the Champions League, where Manchester United maintains a dominant lead, losing just three from the 16 meetings since destroying Arsenal in an 8-2 victory in 2011.

Team News

Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling, and Marouane Fellaini were all absent from Manchester United’s victory over Brighton last week and will remain absent for the clash against Arsenal as well. However, Alexis Sanchez is ready to face his former football club as he hasn’t featured since suffering an injury during Manchester United’s victory over Reading.

Arsenal will, unfortunately, be without Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Danny Welbeck, while the knee injury from Hector Bellerin has ended his season. Fortunately, Ainsley Maitland-Niles will take Bellerin’s place during the match, but Emery can also go with Stephan Lichtsteiner who is far more experienced. It’s all up to the head coach before the match gets underway.