Manchester United take on Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday, and Mikel Arteta's comments on the club's stadium perhaps show why a home advantage could make all the difference.
United have now won three matches in-a-row and Erik ten Hag will be looking to make it four when his side take on Arsenal this weekend. The Gunners have been in scintillating form, having won all five of their Premier League games so far this season, and are playing with great confident under Arteta.
Their visit to Manchester on Sunday afternoon however, will be the North London side's biggest test so far this season. Ten Hag will be hoping that his team can put in the same level of performance as they did against Liverpool in front of their home fans at the start of this three game winning streak, and that the fans get behind the players in the exact same manner.
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Under the floodlights, the Old Trafford crowd roared their team into life as the hostile atmosphere saw Liverpool player's make sloppy passes and mistakes from the start. Last December, United beat Arsenal 3-2 at home in what was also a fiercely competitive game. A Bruno Fernandes goal and two from Cristiano Ronaldo made the difference that day.
The Arsenal manager is all too aware of the difficulties of playing at United's home ground as he explained to the press last season.
He said: “You know what to expect when you got to that stadium and play in front of that crowd. They are a team, a squad that is one of the most talented in the league. You know the situation you are going to face.
"It is very difficult tactically because you don’t know how they are going to prepare the game, the options that they can play, the formation they can [have] so it’s focused more on ourselves, on what we have to do and make sure the team is prepared to go there and beat them.”
Despite the preparation that Arteta mentioned, the result showed just how big a difference the home fans inside Old Trafford can make. Ten Hag and his players will be hoping for a similar outcome on Sunday afternoon, as the fans will once again get behind a revitalised United squad.
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