Manchester United put the bitter taste of their derby defeat to Manchester City behind them with a gritty 1-0 win over Crystal Palace. They can make it two wins in a row this coming Saturday when they face archrivals Arsenal who are coming off a shocking upset loss to Swansea over the weekend.
In this first Premier League meeting between Arsene Wenger and Louis van Gaal, who will grab the advantage? Read on for a complete preview of this showdown. If you’re looking for other sports action, though, you can check out our preview of the NBA game between the Sacramento Kings and the Memphis Grizzlies here.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Manchester United can leapfrog Arsenal with a win on Saturday and climb into fourth place in the team standings. As well the Gunners can barge into the top four as well with a victory over the Red Devils this coming weekend.
Betting on Arsenal
Fixing Arsenal’s leaky defense is the primary agenda for manager Arsene Wenger heading into their big clash with Manchester United after his side squandered another late lead last Saturday.
The Gunners suffered a shock 2-1 defeat against Swansea this past weekend after allowing two goals to the Welsh side in the last 15 minutes. This comes days after they let slip a three-goal lead against Anderlecht in the Champions League to leave their qualification in Europe’s biggest club competition still up in the air.
So what is going on with Arsenal’s defense? Some pundits are placing the blame on Wenger himself for being too stubborn with his defensive set-up even though it is clearly not working right now. In the game against Swansea, Wenger continued to use the same lineup that coughed up three late goals against Anderlecht.
Calum Chambers once again deputised at the right-back position and was exposed time and again by Swansea’s wing attack. The Swans’ game plan was to make as many crosses as possible from the left flank to put Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs under pressure.
That constant pressure eventually took its toll on the Arsenal defense as they gave up late goals to Gylfi Sigurdsson and Bafetimbi Gomis. If they had it tough against Swansea, it will be much harder against Manchester United which possess a dazzling array of attacking talent particularly in the wing areas.
In order to combat Angel Di Maria’s speed down the left flank, it would be better to put Monreal on the right-back position instead of Chambers who has proven to be a liability against opponents with pace in their last two games.
Making that switch will give Arsenal the best possible chance of scoring their second consecutive clean sheet at the Emirates in the Premier League following their 3-0 shutout victory over Burnley last November 1.
When Manchester United splashed out a total of 158 million pounds over the summer to bolster their already formidable attack, many expected the Red Devils to be unstoppable on the offensive end. Who can argue against that point with Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao joining world-class players Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata in United’s star-studded lineup.
Unfortunately for United fans, that hasn’t translated into wins this season. Prior to the game against Crystal Palace last Saturday, United were sitting in 10th place of the league table with only 13 points to their name following their 1-0 defeat to rivals Manchester City the previous week.
That’s why it was understandable that manager Louis van Gaal lined up last Saturday with a squad that was designed for a grind-it-out match. At this stage of the season when a top-four finish becomes a necessity, the most important thing right now is the result and not the quality of play.
Consider it mission accomplished as the Red Devils hacked out a tough 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. Juan Mata scored the winning goal for United who were deputized in a conservative 4-1-4-1 formation with the returning Michael Carrick sitting in front of the back four.
The England international was instrumental in the victory as he helped United command majority of the possession (72 percent) that enabled them to take control of the match. Rooney also spent most of the game alongside Marouane Fellaini in the center of midfield to make sure the Red Devils were not open to Crystal Palace’s counter-attacks.
They will be the ones doing the counterattacking, though, this coming Saturday when they travel to London to face the Gunners. With Arsenal expected to dominate possession, it is a must for van Gaal to once again pack United’s midfield to ensure that there is not enough space for Arsenal to unleash their attacks.
Leaving the Emirates with all three points would be a tough ask for van Gaal’s men, though, considering that United have managed to score only three points in their travels so far this season.
Manchester United are 0-2-3 on the road this campaign.
Writer’s Prediction
Arsenal and Manchester United cancel each other out in a 1-1 draw.
