Once considered the primary rivalry in the Premier League, Manchester United go into the upcoming clash with Arsenal trailing the Gunners by a significant 21-point margin. Following a 1-1 stalemate against Real Sociedad in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, the Red Devils will grapple with exhaustion and the looming return leg, striving to secure consecutive Premier League victories for the first time this season.
The task ahead appears challenging as they face an adversary they have succumbed to in each of their last four Premier League encounters, marking United’s lengthiest losing streak against Arsenal in league history. While Ruben Amorim’s squad emerged victorious in their recent FA Cup meeting in January, clinching a century of head-to-head encounters will necessitate a rare triumph on home turf for the Red Devils, who have only won two out of their last seven league matches at Old Trafford (L5).
Arsenal emerged victorious with a 1-0 win at this venue last season. They approach the upcoming match with confidence, aiming to secure back-to-back league victories at this ground for the first time since February 1979. Although they struggled to score in their previous two Premier League fixtures (D1, L1), the Gunners made history in the UEFA Champions League by scoring seven goals in an away knockout stage match against PSV, sealing a remarkable 7-1 victory.
Mikel Arteta is set to oversee his 200th Premier League game, with only four managers in competition history surpassing his impressive record of 118 wins in their first 200 matches. Noteworthy among these victories are seven wins against Manchester United (D1, L2), showcasing Arteta’s exceptional win rate of 70% against the Red Devils, the best among managers who have faced them at least five times in the league.
Key Players to Keep an Eye On: Manchester United’s lack of forward choices has given Joshua Zirkzee a string of opportunities – he found the net against Sociedad recently and secured the decisive penalty in the Red Devils’ victory over Arsenal in the FA Cup. Among the six goal scorers against PSV, Leandro Trossard is aiming to be just the third Arsenal player in Premier League history to score at Old Trafford in back-to-back seasons.
Noteworthy Stat: Ever since Amorim took the reins at Manchester United, only Leicester (13) have conceded the first goal more times than the Red Devils (12).
