EP Predictions: Man United vs Arsenal

Arsenal and Manchester United are about to lock horns in perhaps the most crucial game of their season, with a place in the Champions League at stake.

Arsenal stopped their losing streak at three matches with a fantastic 4-2 away win at Chelsea.

Manchester United could not channel the positives of their Norwich victory into the Liverpool game and suffered a dismal 4-0 defeat.

Losing Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney to injuries had appeared to be the defining point of Arsenal’s league campaign.

They allowed Tottenham Hotspur to come from behind and go ahead in the Champions League race with three consecutive defeats.

Arsenal hit top form

Having lost to Crystal Palace, Brighton, and Southampton, not many people had put their money on an Arsenal win at Stamford Bridge.

But Arsenal breathed life into their dying hopes of making it to the Champions League with a remarkable London derby victory.

Eddie NKetiah struck twice against his former club, Smith Rowe continued his fine goalscoring form, and Bukayo Saka put his Euro 2020 demons to bed with a well-taken late penalty to secure a 4-2 win for the Gunners.

Now, Arsenal will look to build on the momentum they gained at Stamford Bridge and add three more points to their name.

A win on Saturday afternoon will take them ahead of fourth-placed Tottenham, who play later that day against Brentford.

Undoubtedly, it will put more pressure on Spurs ahead of the game, further boosting the cause of their North London rivals.

In an ideal situation, Arteta would have loved to get Partey and Tierney back for such an important game.

But, both players have been ruled out for the rest of the season. The Arsenal boss will be delighted to welcome back Takehiro Tomiyasu at right-back, though.

The Japan international had missed two months of action because of a calf injury.

Man United look down and out

Manchester United’s muddled Premier League journey took another embarrassing turn at Anfield.

Liverpool cruised to an effortless 4-0 midweek victory over the Red Devils, highlighting the drastic disparity in quality between the two sides.

After the match, Man United boss Ralf Rangnick confessed that his team need a squad overhaul to reach the levels of their arch-rivals.

The prospects of getting top four appear to be bleak for United at the moment.

On paper, they are still in the race, trailing fourth-placed Spurs and fifth-placed Arsenal by three points.

But, they have played a match less and have superior goal differences than the Mancunians.

Manchester United players might want to draw inspiration from their 3-2 win over Arsenal in the reverse fixture.

But, they now face the challenge of ending a three-match winless run at the Emirates.

They will also be wary of their terrible away form, which saw them return empty-handed from each of their last three road trips.

Cristiano Ronaldo will be back after taking some time off to mourn the death of his newly born son.

Manchester United already had a depleted midfield before the Liverpool game, and Paul Pogba’s injury did them no favour.

Rangnick will be somewhat relieved to get back Scott McTominay. The return of Raphael Varane is another good news for the away side.

Our Prediction

Cristiano Ronaldo has a penchant for scoring against Arsenal, and the 37-year-old might find the back of the net on Saturday.

But Manchester United’s error-prone defence is likely to struggle against a youthful Arsenal attack that comes fresh off putting four goals past Chelsea.

We think the match will end 3-1 in favour of Arsenal.