- Arsenal face Man Utd as Wenger and Mourinho lock horns again
- Gunners will hope to extend 12-game home winning streak
- United will hope to keep up the pace with rivals Man City
- READ MORE: Arsenal star hands Arsene Wenger huge potential injury boost ahead of Manchester United test
Arsenal host Man Utd at the Emirates on Saturday evening looking to extend their impressive winning run at home, against Jose Mourinho’s men.
The Gunners have won their last 12 home league games in a row, while a 13-game streak would be the first since November 2005 if they can secure victory this weekend.
In turn, they’ll certainly be full of confidence in front of their own supporters, while their home form against United in particular makes for good reading too as they’ve won two, drawn two and lost just one of their last five meetings.
As for United, they’ve rattled off three consecutive Premier League wins to keep up the pressure on rivals Man City at the top of the table, although they still remain eight points adrift.
Mourinho will know that they can’t afford to slip up here, although given their approach in previous away days at the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea earlier in the season, the Portuguese tactician may see a point as a decent outcome.
Team news
Arsenal have suffered a huge blow with Alexandre Lacazette set for a spell on the sidelines after picking up a groin problem in midweek, as per BBC Sport. The 26-year-old has seven goals in 15 outings for Arsenal so far this season, and so he will certainly be a noticeable absentee.
Olivier Giroud will be expected to step in after finding his goalscoring touch in the win over Huddersfield, while Alexis Sanchez is said to be set to pass a fitness test and make the starting line-up.
As for the visitors, Mourinho could have his own headache as BBC add that Nemanja Matic could be absent with an injury of his own after sustaining the problem in the win over Watford. The Serbian international would be a huge miss given his influential role in midfield, and Mourinho doesn’t have an ideal replacement to slot in.
Probable line-ups
Arsenal: Cech; Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal; Bellerin, Ramsey, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Ozil, Giroud, Sanchez.
Man Utd: De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Rojo, Young; Matic, Pogba; Mata, Lingard, Rashford; Lukaku.
Prediction
Arsenal 1-1 Man Utd. I’m tempted to give Arsenal the edge given that home form, but it will all depend on United’s approach to the game.
We’ve seen Mourinho keep things tight defensively and look to take advantage of any openings in games against direct rivals in Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea already this season. In turn, what’s to say that he won’t view this as another decent result if his side secure a point away from home?
Arsenal will look to control the game and possession, and a quick start will be crucial to force United to play. However, they’ll also have to be wary of the counter-attacking threat posed by the visitors, and in that sense, it sets up a very intriguing encounter.