Arsenal vs Man Utd Preview, Team News, Likely Line-Ups, Key Man + Predicted Score

Arsenal will look to regain top spot in the Premier League table when they take on Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium tonight.

The Gunners slipped to second following their 5-1 humiliation at Anfield on Saturday with Chelsea taking full advantage by beating Newcastle 3-0 at Stamford Bridge later in the day.

However, the Blues opened the door after being held to a 1-1 draw at West Brom last night which means Arsene Wenger’s men can climb back to the summit with a win tonight.

Saturday’s defeat to Liverpool was Arsenal’s first in nine games and they have been in excellent form at home since their opening day defeat to Aston Villa, so should be confident of getting their title challenge back on track this evening.

The north Londoners will face a beleaguered United side that currently sit seventh in the table and nine points adrift of the top four, so another defeat in the capital tonight could all but end the champions hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season.

The latest set-back for David Moyes came with a last minute 2-2 draw at home to bottom side Fulham on Sunday with that result coming off the back of last weeks 2-1 defeat at Stoke, so United are desperate to bounce back with a positive result at the Emirates.

Team News

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is expected to stick with the majority of the side that performed so poorly against Liverpool with the Frenchman ready to give his players a chance to make amends.

Kieran Gibbs could come in for Nacho Monreal at left-back but Thomas Vermaelen will once again miss out with a knee injury.

Tomas Rosicky is another who’s pushing for a recall and he could replace Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in attack, while Mesut Ozil is expected to be given the chance to answer his critics after coming under fire following his poor display at Anfield.

Young striker Yaya Sanogo is fit again but is unlikely to make the bench, but Mathieu Flamini will miss out as he serves the final of his three-match ban. Theo Walcott, Kim Kallstrom, Aaron Ramsey and Abou Diaby all remain on the sidelines through injury.

Man Utd could welcome back Phil Jones and Marouane Fellaini for the game but neither are expected to start if they do make the squad.

Jonny Evans remains out with a calf injury so Chris Smalling should continue alongside Nemanja Vidic at the back.
Adnan Januzaj could get a recall having not started a league game in a month and he should join Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney in supporting Robin van Persie in attack.

Likely Line-Ups

Key Man

Mesut Ozil: The German has come under some fierce criticism following his performance against Liverpool and all eyes will be on him to see how he responds tonight. We all know he’s a world class talent and United will want to pay him close attention if they want to get something from the game.

Predicted Score

Arsenal 2-1 Man Utd: The Gunners recovered well the last time they suffered a set back against Manchester City last year, and with United low on confidence, we can see the hosts edging this one.

What team would you like to see start the game and what’s your predicted score? Share your views below.