Louis Van Gaal and his Manchester United players can relax a litter easier now that they have qualified for next season’s Champions League. At this point, they will play in the final qualifying round – the play-off stage – but they will still harbour hopes of finishing in the top three which would guarantee them a place in the group stage. To do that, United simply have to win their last two games and hope that Arsenal (or a collapse from Manchester City) drop further points. Last weekend’s win away to Crystal Palace was their first success in four games and – although it was a nervy 90 minutes – was the result they needed to get over the line. There is no getting away from how much work that Van Gaal has still got ahead of him, to make them a credible title challenger, but there is no doubt that playing Champions League football is a necessity to reach the level.
It had to come to an end at some point, but nobody expected Arsenal’s unbeaten Premier League home record to stop against Swansea on Monday evening. The Gunners had went 10 games without defeat at the Emirates, winning nine of them, before going down 1-0 to the Welsh club. It was their first loss at home since United performed a bit of a smash and grab back in November. It has put a dent in their quest to finish second, behind Chelsea, but (probably more importantly) it brings this weekend’s opponents to within a couple of points. Holding off the challenge of Manchester United will definitely be their main focus, and they know that a win at Old Trafford on Sunday would do that. Arsene Wenger will be laying down a challenge to his players, to respond to last weeks defeat and record their first Premier League stadium at this ground since 2006.
The future of a lot of United’s stars remains in the balance, and it will be interesting to see what kind of squad Van Gaal is working with come the 1st of September. The big signings from last summer have not really worked out, particularly Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao. The two South Americans both came with huge reputations, and although they started the season impressively, Di Maria and Falcao have failed to live up to expectations and have played bit-part roles in recent months. Two players who suffered similar starts to their careers at United but who have been much more impressive this season, are Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini. Both signed under David Moyes, the duo have been much more effective under the current manager and will likely be key going into next camapign.
As much as Arsenal’s record in the Premier League against Manchester United has been a bit of a disaster in recent seasons – managing just one win in the last 12 meetings – they did win the last time the two met. The Gunners came back from a goal down to defeat United at Old Trafford in the FA Cup back in March. Danny Welbeck scored the winning goal that night following his move to Arsenal, from United, last summer. That should give Wenger’s men a lot of confidence and they will also feel they were the better side in the league meeting earlier this season, despite losing the game. Having already won away to the other Manchester club this season, a win on Sunday would be another indication that Arsenal are beginning to mature, and closer to challenge for the title, themselves.
This fixture remains one of the biggest rivalries in the Premier League despite the two not being in contention for the title. United will certainly be going all out for the win here as they look to finish leapfrog their opponents and finish third. If they are to do that, you would assume they will have to play better than they have over the last month. Arsenal would probably not be too disappointed if this was to end in a draw as it would keep the two point gap and allow them to clinch third with a win in their game in hand during next midweek. But, for the reasons outlined above, a win on Sunday would be a statement of intent. Arsenal have to bounce back after the disappointment at home to Swansea but there is reason to suggest they will. Wenger’s men have the second best away record in the league and have lost only one of their last 10 away games in all competitions, winning nine of them. United look a little disjointed at the moment and I fancy the North London club to prevail.
Arsenal 2/1 @ William Hill
