The biggest test of Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United tenure so far comes on Wednesday night when the Red Devils take on Arsenal at the Emirates.
The Gunners have been purring since returning from the international break in November, winning their previous three games by a combined 13-3. Mikel Arteta’s side cruised past Nottingham Forest before beating Sporting CP and West Ham to five in comprehensive victories.
The title contenders have found their mojo again, but there is a nine-point deficit to Liverpool to make up for.
United are unbeaten under new manager Amorim, but the Portuguese manager’s reign at Old Trafford is still in its infancy. The signs have certainly been positive, and they head into Wednesday’s game after hammering Everton 4-0 on Sunday.
The rise of Marcus Rashford and Amad Diallo’s outstanding performances as a full-back they have been two highlights of Amorim’s mandate after two weeks.
here it is 90 minutes preview of this Wednesday’s Premier League shock
Arsenal vs Man Utd head-to-head results (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
arsenal |
Man Utd |
|---|---|
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West Ham 2-5 Arsenal – 30/11/24 |
Man Utd 4-0 Everton – 12/01/14 |
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Sporting CP 1-5 Arsenal – 26/11/24 |
Man Utd 3-2 Bodo/Glimt – 28/11/24 |
|
Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest – 23/11/24 |
Ipswich Town 1-1 Man Utd – 24/11/24 |
|
Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal – 11/10/24 |
Man Utd 3-0 Leicester – 11/10/24 |
|
Inter 1-0 Arsenal – 24/11/06 |
Man Utd 2-0 PAOK – 07/11/24 |
|
country |
TV channel/live broadcast |
|---|---|
|
united kingdom |
Amazon Prime Video |
|
united states |
peacock |
|
canada |
TSN+ |
The Gunners have some fresh injury concerns, with Mikel Merino looking unlikely to play on Wednesday after missing Saturday’s win in east London with a knee injury.
Thomas Partey was also absent at the weekend, but the fact that he traveled with the squad to the London Stadium has to be taken as a positive sign. He could return to the team against United.
Gabriel is expected to be fine to start despite suffering a problem that forced him out at halftime on Saturday. He will be joined by William Saliba at the heart of Arsenal’s defence.
Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are out for the hosts.
Predicted Arsenal vs Man Utd line-up (4-3-3): Stripe; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Partey, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.
Amorim has welcomed Harry Maguire back from injury since taking over, and on Wednesday he could be chosen to replace Lisandro Martinez on the left of the manager’s back three.
Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo are suspended for the trip to the Emirates after picking up his fifth booking of the season against Everton on Sunday.
On a brighter note, United’s injury problems are easing and Amorim has confirmed that Leny Yoro struggles to earn his first minutes of the season on wednesday Yoro has missed his entire debut campaign so far after breaking his foot in pre-season.
Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans are unlikely to feature in the away team, but Bruno Fernandes should be fit despite picking up a knock on his ankle against Everton.
Man Utd predicted line-up against Arsenal (3-4-2-1): Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Maguire; Amad, Casemiro, Ugarte, Dalot; Fernandes, Rashford; circus
Amorim’s plan has resulted in a string of mini-undefeations, and there’s no doubt Arsenal would prefer to face a Man Utd side managed by Erik ten Hag on Wednesday.
However, Arteta’s team should rely on the recent dismantling of an Amorim system in Lisbon. The Gunners beat Sporting CP 5-1 last week; pressuring his opponents into submission and constantly finding space in the back three/five.
Amorim’s United are, of course, different from Sporting given the profiles available to the coach, but the visitors will be affected by the defeats of Mainoo and Martinez on Wednesday. With Arsenal potentially able to field their strongest XI at home, it’s hard to see United taming the Gunners’ current momentum.
