The biggest game of the season so far is now upon us. Arsenal visit Old Trafford today in the first ‘big 4′ game the season and the goals are expected to flow. Both teams have found goalscoring form recently and it promise to be a thrilling encounter.
Team news
United
Jonny Evans is expected to play, despite a recurring ankle injury giving him problems.
Rio Ferdinand, Rafael, Gabriel Obertan, Owen Hargreaves and Edwin Van der Sar remain on the sidelines.
Arsenal
Aaron Ramsay is a doubt after suffering a knee injury against Celtic on Wednesday.
Johan Djourou, Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott, Lucasz Fabianski and Samir Nasri are all injured.
Arsenal have won only once at Old Trafford in their last eight visits. Six losses and one draw mean their record at United is less than impressive. Sir Alex Ferguson will be hoping to keep that record going to get his season back on track in style.
After grinding our a 1-0 win on the opening day of the season, United suffered a shock loss to Burnley which left many doubting our ability to retain our title. We bounced back by beating Wigan 5-0 on their own turf, but they were also thrashed 4-1 by Blackpool so it’s debatable how much spirit we can take from that win. One positive (or three) was that all of our senior strikers found the net. Wayne Rooney has started the season in fine form, but Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov were yet to open their accounts for the season until the 5 goal thumping. Hopefully they’re the first of many.
Arsenal have a perfect record in the Premier League, though they have played a game less. Everton were cannon fodder on the opening day as Arsenal routed them 6-1 at Goodison Park. Then Portsmouth were hit for four at the Emirates stadium. Wenger will be looking to keep his perfect run going as long as possible and victory against United would make it all the more impressive.
The absence of Fabregas could be a key factor in deciding who dominates the game tomorrow. His elegance on the ball and ability to play a pass through the eye of a needle make him one of the league’s finest players. Arsenal will miss his creativity in the centre of the pitch, as well as his knack of keeping possession. It could allow Michael Carrick to step in and control the game alongside Darren Fletcher.
Updates on squads to follow when announced.
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