Sunday Blockbuster: Premier League leaders Arsenal vs rising Manchester United

Arsenal, on the other hand, beat their local rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in their last Premier League match and continued their journey towards the title. A perfectly balanced team, the Gunners have finally found the necessary synergy between their frontline and backline, making them favorites this season. Keeping ten clean sheets and conceding the second fewest goals hasn’t hurt either.

North London’s newest arrival. pic.twitter.com/utp1apPmmv

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 20, 2023

United were beaten by rivals Manchester City at the weekend by a resilient Palace, who ended their winning streak. Another huge blow to the side coming out of the Palace game is that midfield maestro Casemiro will be sidelined for the Arsenal match due to too many yellow cards. However, manager Erk Ten Hag said: The last time we beat Arsenal without Casemiro, we have to do the same.

In their previous meeting, man of the moment Marcus Rashford had found the net twice while summer signing Antony scored once as United beat the Gunners 3-1, with Bukayo Saka scoring Arsenal’s only goal. At the time, United were a team without rhythm and trying to find their feet in the Premier League. Now Arsenal have to contend with a team whose confidence has grown with every game. With the addition of Dutch striker Wout Weghorst to United’s attacking line-up, Arsenal will need to defend at their best to contain the aerial threat.

All eyes on Sunday. #MUFC || #ARSMUN

– Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 20, 2023

Arsenal are a team that have not relied on any one player to score goals this season and that is one of the main things that makes them tick. They have the second most goals scored in the league, with Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, Granit Xhaka and Eddie Nketiah all stepping up at the right moment and contributing.

A memorable debut @Antony00 opened the scoring last v. Arsenal, who do you think will score first on Sunday? #MUFC || #ARSMUN

– Manchester United (@ManUtd) 21 January 2023

Apart from Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal have no major injuries and according to recent reports are close to adding Brighton’s ace playmaker Leandro Trossardi to their ranks following the absence of Mykhailo Mudryk. Meanwhile, United are looking at Jadon Sancho to ease his way back into the team after a long absence.

Sunday’s game will be a baptism of fire for Arsenal as they seek revenge on the only team to beat them this season, while the Red Devils, suddenly thrust into an unlikely title race, will be hoping to spoil the Gunners’ party once more. It will be a mouth-watering clash that harkens back to the Ferguson vs Wenger days when these two teams were top dogs in their divisions. Only time will tell if history will repeat itself or if this competition will be consigned to the forgotten pages of the past.

TV Timings: 10 PM, Sunday Live: Hotstar and Star Sports Network