Manchester United vs Arsenal
Sunday 9 March 2025
Premier League
Kick-Off: 4.30pm
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Venue: Old Trafford
Two of the most successful clubs in English football renew their rivalry on Sunday as Manchester United and Arsenal lock horns at Old Trafford, Both sides come into the match following European matches in midweek.
Arsenal thrashed PSV Eindhoven 7-1 in the first leg of their Champions League Last 16 tie on Tuesday, while Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday.
Arsenal won the reverse league fixtures at the Emirates 2-0 in December, with United winning on penalties when they met in the Third Round of the FA Cup a few weeks later.
Little home comfort for United
It’s fair to say this season has been a disastrous one for United, leaving them 14th in the Premier League after 27 games, with Ruben Amorim struggling to implement his playing style on the existing squad.
Whilst Mark Hughes once famously said of Old Trafford that ‘50 percent of games were won in the tunnel’, that certainly is not the case for the current side. Before the topsy-turvy 3-2 win over Ipswich, United had lost five of their previous six at home.
Overall, they have taken 19 points from their 14 home games, scoring 20 goals and conceding 24. This does make their home form relatively better than their form on the road, but still a long way short of what would be expected.
Gunners title hopes fading
Whilst Arsenal are still second in the Premier League, their title hopes were left hanging by a thread after two disappointing results in February, a 1-0 defeat against West Ham followed by a goalless draw with Nottingham Forest.
This has left them 13 points behind Liverpool, albeit with a game in hand, with 11 games remaining of the season. They are eight points clear of fifth placed Chelsea in the race for Champions League places.
Mikel Arteta is refusing to concede the title, but they cannot afford any more slip ups if they are to have any chance of closing the gap on Liverpool at the top.
Key Team News
United are without a number of key players for the game, with Lisandro Martinez, Amad Diallo and Kobbie Mainoo among those ruled out long term. In addition, Patrick Dorgu is suspended after being sent off against Ipswich.
However, Toby Collyer came on as a substitute against Real Sociedad after injury so is available to start in midfield.
Arsenal are still without Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, while the game could still come too soon for Bukayo Saka. Those injuries mean Mikel Merino could once again start up front, as he did in midweek.
Key Players To Watch
As ever, United are likely to be heavily reliant on the creative ability of Bruno Fernandes. Their captain provided the assist for all three goals in the win over Ipswich as is the club’s top scorer this season with six goals in the league, 11 in all competitions.
With no available forwards, creativity from midfield is more important than ever for Arsenal. Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard have 14 assists between them in all competitions this season, eight in the league.
Prediction
Both recent form and head-to-head record point to an Arsenal victory. Whilst United won on penalties in their last meeting, They have only won twice in the last 13 Premier League meetings.
United’s last league win in this fixture came in September 2022 when they won 3-1 thanks to a Marcus Rashford double. It is hard to look far beyond a Gunners victory this time around.