Arsenal vs Manchester United
Premier League 2018-19
Venue: Emirates Stadium
Date: Sunday, 10 March, 2019
Kick-off: 4:30pm GMT
After a week of hugely contrasting fortunes in Europe, Arsenal and Manchester United have little time to reflect as they collide at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday in what promises to be a pivotal clash in the captivating race for a top-four Premier League finish.
The ill-disciplined Gunners have it all to do in the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie against French club Rennes following a 3-1 defeat in Brittany on Thursday in which they blew an early lead and played 50 minutes with 10 men following the dismissal of Sokratis Papastathopoulos.
It continued a week of disappointment for Unai Emery's side, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Tottenham in the north London derby last weekend after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a late penalty saved by Hugo Lloris.
That latter result - combined with their own 3-2 comeback win over struggling Southampton - saw resurgent United jump above Arsenal and into fourth place, just three points adrift of Tottenham in third.
Things got even better at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday, when the depleted Red Devils made Champions League history - with the help of VAR - with a stunning 3-1 defeat of Paris Saint-Germain that sent them into the quarter-finals of the Champions League on away goals.
It was a stunning achievement that may just have sealed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's future as the permanent successor to Jose Mourinho.
Arsenal team news
Lucas Torreira will miss matches against United, Newcastle and Everton after a three-match ban received for his tackle on Danny Rose in the dying seconds of the draw with Tottenham was upheld on appeal.
Alexandre Lacazette and Sokratis are available for domestic duty amid their respective Europa League bans, but Danny Welbeck (ankle), Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding (both knee) remain long-term absentees.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Leno; Mustafi, Sokratis, Koscielny, Monreal; Guendouzi, Xhaka; Mkhitaryan, Ramsey, Iwobi; Lacazette
Manchester United team news
United were without 10 senior players against PSG, but Paul Pogba's suspension only ever applied to European competition and Anthony Martial has now recovered from a groin injury that saw him sidelined for three weeks.
Midfield duo Nemanja Matic (muscle) and Ander Herrera (hamstring) face late fitness tests after returning to training.
Antonio Valencia, Jesse Lingard and Alexis Sanchez remain out, while it remains to be seen if Phil Jones and Matteo Darmian are back in contention after illness and a knock respectively.
Defensive colleague Eric Bailly limped off after just 36 minutes in Paris in midweek after a torrid spell in an unfamiliar position at right-back.
Predicted Manchester United XI: De Gea; Young, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw; Matic, Herrera, Pogba; Rashford, Lukaku, Martial
Score prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Manchester United
Transformed United have taken a blistering 32 points from 36 available since Solskjaer was parachuted in from Molde in December - a run of 10 wins and two draws from 12 matches.
It is hard to back against them losing any match with the atmosphere currently surrounding the club, especially if they get a few key players back fit, but Arsenal will be desperate not to slump to another home defeat to their old rivals and lose significant ground in the top-four race - particularly with their Europa League hopes seemingly now hanging by a thread.
A low-scoring draw after a busy few days for both teams seems a real possibility.
Arsenal vs Manchester United tickets
For ticket information click here to head to the Arsenal website.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- Arsenal to win: 7/5
- Draw: 13/5
- Manchester United to win: 21/10
First goalscorer odds
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 4/1
- Alexandre Lacazette: 5/1
- Marcus Rashford: 11/2
- Romelu Lukaku: 6/1
- Paul Pogba: 13/2
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
TV channel and live stream, and online coverage
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports' Premier League and Main Event channels, and is available via Now TV with a day pass on offer for £7.99. Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via SkyGo and the SkyGo app.
You can also follow all the action with Standard Sport's LIVE blog from the Emirates.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
These two teams have met 53 times in the Premier League era, with United leading 24-13 in terms of victories. There have been 16 draws.
They battled to a tense 2-2 top-flight draw at Old Trafford in early December before the Red Devils secured a 3-1 win at the Emirates in the fourth round of the FA Cup in January.
