Manchester United take on Arsenal at Old Trafford tonight with both teams looking for a win to boost their top four hopes.
United confirmed Ralf Rangnick as their new manager until the end of the season but the German is still waiting for his work permit to be approved so Michael Carrick will continue in the dugout this evening.
The former midfielder has done well since stepping-in following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal last month as Carrick oversaw an away win at Villarreal in the Champions League before guiding Man Utd to an impressive 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday.
The result at Stamford Bridge has left Manchester United sitting 10th in the Premier League table but they could climb as high as sixth and to within three points of fourth with victory on home soil tonight.
However, Arsenal head to Old Trafford off the back of a 2-0 win over Newcastle at the weekend which made it five wins in their last six games in all competitions so the Gunners come into the match in fine form.
Victory at United would see Arsenal leapfrog West Ham into the top four so Mikel Arteta will be desperate to pick up a positive result tonight as he looks to get the North Londoners back in Europe next season.
Team news
Man Utd welcome Harry Maguire back into the squad after he served his one-match ban at the weekend. Maguire is expected to be recalled to replace Eric Bailly in the back four.
Paul Pogba remains out with a thigh injury that’s hampered him in recent weeks while Raphael Varane is also still working his way back to full fitness from his own thigh problem.
Edinson Cavani is nursing a tendon injury and Luke Shaw is also unlikely to feature for Man Utd tonight after suffering two head injuries in recent weeks. Cristiano Ronaldo is pushing for a recall after being benched for the trip to Chelsea.
Arsenal will make a late decision over Bukayo Saka’s involvement after he was forced off with a muscle injury against Newcastle. The issue isn’t thought to be serious so Saka is tipped to start tonight.
Granit Xhaka remains on the sidelines with a knee injury that he sustained back in September while Sead Kolasinac has been ruled out until the New Year with an ankle injury.
Kieran Tierney could be recalled at left-back despite Nuno Tavares impressing against Newcastle. Gabriel Martinelli and Alexandre Lacazette are also pushing for recalls for Arsenal.
Expected line-ups
Man Utd: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Telles, Fred, McTominay, Fernandes, Sancho, Rashford, Ronaldo
Arsenal: Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tierney; Partey, Lokonga; Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe; Aubameyang
How to watch/stream
Manchester United versus Arsenal will kick-off at 8.15pm this evening and will be broadcast live on Amazon Prime Video. Subscribers can watch the match live via the Prime Video website or app.
Those who don’t subscribe to Amazon Prime Video can of course watch the match live on a dodgy stream that can be found online. There are always plenty of stream options floating around on social media – but obviously we can’t condone that sort of thing!
Predicted score
Man Utd 1-1 Arsenal: United are winless in their last six league meetings with Arsenal following the Gunners’ 1-0 win at Old Trafford last season and haven’t scored s single goal in the last three encounters between the two sides.
This will obviously give Arsenal confidence and they head into the game in good form so Arteta will believe his side can take away at least a point from Old Trafford. Man Utd were well organised against Chelsea and the players should be eager to impress the new in-coming boss so we predict a score draw this evening.
