Zlatan Ibrahimovic broke his goal drought with a brace that helped Manchester United secure their first win after 4 games. United beat Swansea City 3-1 in an away game last weekend at the Liberty Stadium. But unfortunately for United, the lanky Swede striker will be out of action for Saturday’s big clash at Old Trafford with Arsenal. Ibrahimovic is on a one-match suspension following a foul committed in their Swansea match. Marcus Rashford, who was rested for that match is expected to fill the gap upfront
left by the absence of Ibrahimovic. Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho had to quell a mutiny of sorts in the United ranks as defenders Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling expressed their inability to play in the Swansea clash on the grounds of injury issues. But these two are expected to make the cut in the final XI at Old Trafford on Saturday and have a point to prove to Mourinho. Matteo Darmian and Phil Jones will probably be benched. United’s £26-million man, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, could make a comeback after being sidelined for long and so could the long-absent Bastian Schweinsteiger. Rooney may still find a place despite his listless performance in the recent WC 2018 qualifier against Scotland. In-form players, Paul Pogba and Juan Mata will be there to give the United attack the desired thrust.
For Arsene Wenger, the main worry going into Saturday’s clash will be the absence of his star striker, Alexis Sanchez, out with a groin injury suffered during Chile’s practice sessions for the World Cup qualifiers. The absence of another player upfront, Lucas Perez, may compel Wenger to introduce the attacking Costa Rican winger, Joel Campbell. Mesut Ozil, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Olivier Giroud (as the lone striker) will make up the front line quartet.
The Gunners are quite secure presently in the Top 4 of the Premier League table and being 3 points ahead of 5th placed Tottenham and six points ahead of United, even a loss at Old Trafford on Saturday would leave their current position in the 4th spot unaffected.
For Arsenal, Old Trafford hasn’t been historically a happy hunting ground but bookmakers have factored in their brilliant recent form and Manchester United’s home advantage to give the hosts a slight edge on November 19.Inteeresting to note is the fact that the Gunners have won just twice in the last ten meetings between these two.
Recommended Tip:
Man Utd to Win, Best Odds 6/4