LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 14: Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal before the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Leicester City at Emirates Stadium on February 14, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Predicted Starters To Face Manchester United
Arsenal take on Manchester United on Sunday with three vital points on the line. Will they be able to take all three points to keep pace with Leicester at the top?
After their disappointing yet admittedly predictable loss against Barcelona in Champions League Round of 16 play, Arsenal will be looking to get back on track in a match of great importance in the Premier League. It has been a long time since a game against Manchester United actually mattered as much as tomorrow’s match at Old Trafford will come to mean, in terms of Arsenal’s title hopes.
Going into this game, Arsenal sit five points adrift from table-toppers Leicester City with a game at hand. Now, I may come to sound like a broken record, but this is undoubtedly a must win game for this Arsenal team. If they want to keep pace with Leicester and Tottenham in the race for their first league title in 11 years, the Gunners will need to do what they have not been able to accomplish since September of 2006.
Arsenal must come away from Old Trafford with all three points – and they may finally have the squad to do it. For the first time in a long time, Arsenal have a team of players that is superior to that of United’s in nearly every position. If they prove that on the pitch tomorrow, then that will be the determining factor should Arsenal snatch victory from Louis Van Gaal’s team.
Even with injuries to Gabirel, Santi Cazorla, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere, the Gunners still have a squad that is capable of beating top teams, as they showed in their vital win against their main rivals for the title in Leicester. Without a shadow of a doubt, Arsene Wenger’s team is more than capable of conquering this fixture, it is just a matter of whether the players show up or not.
Here is how Arsenal are likely to lineup at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Everyone talks about how great David De Gea is, but I would have Petr Cech over the Manchester United man any day. In a huge fixture like this, Cech’s experience will shine through an hopefully translate into a clean sheet."
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GK
Petr Cech
33, Czech
Everyone talks about how great David De Gea is, but I would have Petr Cech over the Manchester United man any day. In a huge fixture like this, Cech’s experience will shine through an hopefully translate into a clean sheet.
Even at the age of 20, Hector Bellerin is not only better than any right back that United can field, but also the best and most consistent player in his position this season league-wide. His pace will be needed with Depay bursting down the right hand flank. He gets the start for me."
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RB
Hector Bellerin
24, Spain
Even at the age of 20, Hector Bellerin is not only better than any right back that United can field, but also the best and most consistent player in his position this season league-wide. His pace will be needed with Depay bursting down the right hand flank. He gets the start for me.
Ok, so, everyone (including) myself thought that Per Mertesacker up against Messi, Suarez and Neymar would be an absolute disaster, but it wasn’t. The German was surprisingly able to keep MSN quiet for the majority of the match. One error that lead to the penalty being given away blighted his otherwise great performance. Having said that, Mertesacker deserves the start here."
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CB
Per Mertesacker
4, Germany
Ok, so, everyone (including) myself thought that Per Mertesacker up against Messi, Suarez and Neymar would be an absolute disaster, but it wasn’t. The German was surprisingly able to keep MSN quiet for the majority of the match. One error that lead to the penalty being given away blighted his otherwise great performance. Having said that, Mertesacker deserves the start here.
Like Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny had a solid game against Barcelona. His no-nonsense style of defending will be needed in this game."
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CB
Laurent Koscielny
6, France
Like Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny had a solid game against Barcelona. His no-nonsense style of defending will be needed in this game.
A picture of consistency, Nacho Monreal kept the greatest player in the world at bay for much of the match against Barcelona. Keeping United quiet should be easy for him, right?"
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LB
Nacho Monreal
18, Spain
A picture of consistency, Nacho Monreal kept the greatest player in the world at bay for much of the match against Barcelona. Keeping United quiet should be easy for him, right?
Although I’m not too concerned about Juan Mata in this game, he is United’s creative outlet, so Francis Coquelin will need to be disciplined in this game in order to keep Mata’s distribution to a minimum."
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RM
Francis Coquelin
34, France
Although I’m not too concerned about Juan Mata in this game, he is United’s creative outlet, so Francis Coquelin will need to be disciplined in this game in order to keep Mata’s distribution to a minimum.
As I said in the Barcelona preview, one of Aaron Ramsey’s best assets is his shot from long distance. In this game, I would encourage Ramsey to take his chances outside the box. United’s defence is shaky at best, so an unexpected rocket from thirty yards may just catch them off guard. This is where Ramsey can real be a threat for Arsenal in this game."
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LM
Aaron Ramsey
16, Wales
As I said in the Barcelona preview, one of Aaron Ramsey’s best assets is his shot from long distance. In this game, I would encourage Ramsey to take his chances outside the box. United’s defence is shaky at best, so an unexpected rocket from thirty yards may just catch them off guard. This is where Ramsey can real be a threat for Arsenal in this game.
The last time Danny Welbeck returned to Old Trafford, he scored the winning goal to knock United out of the FA Cup. So naturally, I am predicting Danny Welbeck to score the winner in this game to put a final dagger in United’s title hopes."
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RW
Danny Welbeck
23, England
The last time Danny Welbeck returned to Old Trafford, he scored the winning goal to knock United out of the FA Cup. So naturally, I am predicting Danny Welbeck to score the winner in this game to put a final dagger in United’s title hopes.
Admittedly, Alexis Sanchez has been struggling since he came back from injury, but perhaps a huge game with an intense rivalry may just be the game that gets him going."
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LW
Alexis Sanchez
17, Chile
Admittedly, Alexis Sanchez has been struggling since he came back from injury, but perhaps a huge game with an intense rivalry may just be the game that gets him going.
Mesut Ozil is a Mata-type player, in the sense that he is Arsenal’s creative outlet. The only difference is that Ozil is a better player than Mata. He will show that against United. Look for Ozil to have a significant influence on Arsenal’s offensive play tomorrow."
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CAM
Mesut Ozil
11, Germany
Mesut Ozil is a Mata-type player, in the sense that he is Arsenal’s creative outlet. The only difference is that Ozil is a better player than Mata. He will show that against United. Look for Ozil to have a significant influence on Arsenal’s offensive play tomorrow.
Olivier Giroud and Welbeck haven’t played much together this season, but Giroud is the type of player that plays well with another forward playing alongside him. His excellent hold-up play may be exactly what Arsenal need for Danny Welbeck to score against his former team."
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ST
Olivier Giroud
12, France
Olivier Giroud and Welbeck haven’t played much together this season, but Giroud is the type of player that plays well with another forward playing alongside him. His excellent hold-up play may be exactly what Arsenal need for Danny Welbeck to score against his former team.
