Premier League is taking a break this weekend, but we’re going to see some FA Cup action instead. On Friday evening Arsenal are playing against Manchester United in the 1/16-finals. The game takes place at the Emirates Stadium in London where Unai Emery’s boys will try to put an end to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s unbeaten run as the manager of Man United. Is it time for The Red Devils’ caretaker manager to experience his first defeat? Find out in our Arsenal vs Manchester United prediction and betting tips!
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 26: Paul Pogba of Manchester United celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 3-0 during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Huddersfield Town at Old Trafford on December 26, 2018 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Arsenal
The Gunners have been excellent on their turf, particularly in the Premier League. This is the place where they beat Chelsea last weekend by 2:0. Actually, they have 9 wins at the Emirates in the league, which makes them the 3rd best home team. Their home stats in cup games are equally impressive, even though they lost to Tottenham in the League Cup in December.
Another thing going in Arsenal favor is that their recent form has been pretty good, particularly in the final third. This team scored a total of 9 games in the previous 3 matches. Their defense hasn’t been too impressive this season, but the main reason for that is that they had some serious problems with injuries.
At the moment, most of their defenders are injury-free, apart from Bellerin who’s gonna be out for months, and Holding, who will have to sit out this game due to problems with knees. There are a few other absentees, but generally speaking, Unai Emery has a decent number of players he can choose his first XI from.
Manchester United
The Red Devils have all wins since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been in charge. Some thought the reason for their impressive form was that they had an easy fixture list, but Man United then beat Tottenham at the Wembley last Sunday.
They obviously have an amazing team, although same as Arsenal, they’re not too impressive at the back. And same as Arsenal, Man United also had some serious problems with injured defenders. At the moment, that’s not the case, even though Rojo and Smalling are still sidelined.
Since Mourinho’s been sacked, the strongest point of Man United has been their attack. With Solskjaer in charge, the Red Devils have scored a total of 19 goals in 7 matches. And 12 of those goals were scored in the first half. You can be sure that attacking football from the very beginning of the match is going to be their choice on Friday as well. And considering that arsenal are famously bad in the first 45, I think we might see Manchester United getting a lead early on.
Team News
Arsenal absentees:
- Hector Bellerin (injury)
- Rob Holding (injury)
- Henrikh Mkhitaryan (injury)
- Danny Welbeck (injury)
Manchester United absentees:
- Marcos Rojo (injury)
- Chris Smalling (injury)
- Marouane Fellaini (injury)
Possible Lineups
Arsenal
Cech – Koscielny, Mustafi, Lichtsteiner, Kolasinac – Guendouzi, Xhaka, Maitland-Niles – Iwobi, Aubameyang, Lacazette
Manchester United
De Gea – Lindelof, Bailly, Darmian, Shaw – Herrera, Matic, Pogba – Mata, Sanchez, Lukaku
Arsenal vs Manchester United Prediction
It’s fair to say that it’s in the interest of both teams that this game does not end in a draw. If that happens, they will have to play it once again. And that just means wasting time and energy that they could use in the Premier League. This is why I think the real battle is going to be played in the first half. And which team goes with a lead to the half time break, that team is going to win; the other side probably won’t push too hard.
Arsenal vs Manchester United Betting Tips
- First Half Over 0.5 Goals @1.30 (bet365)
- Man United @2.70 (bet365)
- HT-FT 2-2 @4.40 (bwin)