Flash Past - Man Utd v Arsenal [EPL]

Sunshine folks!

After the morale boosting victory against Dortmund at Iduna Park, Arsenal travel to the North-west and for the first time in 'I don’t know how long', they have a realistic chance of getting more than a point from this fixture. Let’s skip to the part of analyzing last season’s fixture between the sides.

Lineup Then:

Manchester United

Starting XI :  De Gea, Rafael, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Valencia*, Carrick, Cleverley*, Young, Rooney, RVP

Subs : Lindegaard – Wooton – Anderson* – Nani* – Scholes – Powell - Hernandez

*subbed players

Arsenal

Starting XI : Mannone, Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Santos, Ramsey*, Arteta, Wilshere, Cazorla, Podolski*, Giroud

Subs : Martinez, Koscielny, Jenkinson, Walcott*, Coquelin, Arshavin*, Chamakh

Blast from the Past:

The time had finally arrived for Arsenal to face the monster they created and it didn't take too long for the Red Devils jerseyed Judas to score. Our captain, Vermaelen in a momentary act of madness passed the ball to a player in the form of his life at the edge of the box and all that judas had to do was slot it home. 3 minutes on the clock, 1-0 to United and the OT faithful couldn't have asked for a better start. The day could have become much worse, in fact similar to 8-2 defeat, if not for Mannone. He was in brilliant form that day and repelled almost every shot which was aimed at him. And a goal came out of nowhere in the end to make the scoreline 2-1. Cazorla showed his moment of brilliance and scored a blinder. But the game was long dead to react any more. It was an overwhelming victory for the Reds army. Please watch the highlights here..

Current Mood:

The Gunners are in a rich vein of form, unbeaten in the last 9 PL games, with their only defeat this season coming way back in August. Their away record this year is even more impressive-14 wins in 15 games. On the contrary, United have struggled this season and are 8 points behind the leaders after only 10 games. United, though, can take comfort from the fact that they have been unbeaten in the last 8 matches in all competitions but they should have their work cut out against a marauding Arsenal team who have currently become favorites for the league title.

Injury List:
Manchester United

United will be hoping that Carrick is fit to start this match. They desperately need the tough tackling midfield enforcer in their ranks especially against Arsenal's fluid passing play.

Carrick(Achilles), Rafael(Ankle), Evans(back), Welbeck(Knee), Cleverley(Concussion)

Arsenal

Arsenal, as is their tradition, have plenty of injury problems with Wilshere, Theo, Ox and Poldi still not fit enough to start. Flamini is back for this fixture which is excellent news for the Gunners because the French, arguably the buy of the summer, is adept at breaking opposition play and is very much required to negate United's primary threat, Rooney. 

Walcott (Abdomen), Oxlade (Knee), Podolski (Hamstring), Diaby (Knee)

Predicted Lineup:

Manchester United

Manchester United are doing well with their new found hero and the old one (Read as Januzaj and Rooney). They are sure to be on the starting XI and along with RVP up front. Jones and Fellaini in the centre to mark out Ramsey and Özil.

Arsenal

Arsenal will deploy the same side that played against Dortmund with just one change. Flamini will come into the starting XI replacing Rosicky and provide a solid cover for the defense with Arteta and Flamini as double pivot.

Talisman:
Manchester United

Rooney, in particular is in wonderful form this season, single handedly dragging United to the top half of the table. Adnan Januzaj is another player to watch out for. He has been the find of the season but will have a job on his hands  When he goes up against Bacary Sagna who has looked solid at the back for Arsenal and it should be a fascinating contest.

Arsenal

Aaron Ramsey has been the player of the season in the PL so far this season and much of Arsenal's chances for a win will depend on this wonder kid (who famously chose to sign for Arsenal instead of United). Per Mertsacker and Koscielny will also be very crucial as they will be up against one of the best striking partnership in the PL- Rvp and Rooney.

Factos:

· Manchester United have lost only one of their last nine encounters with Arsenal in the Barclays Premier League (W6 D2).

· Arsene Wenger's men have won at Old Trafford three times in the Barclays Premier League and have won the title in two of those seasons (97-98 & 01-02).

·  Robin van Persie has scored in the last four Barclays Premier League encounters between these two sides (two for each club).

·  Arsenal are the only side to have scored in all 10 of their Barclays Premier League matches this season.

· Wayne Rooney's first Barclays Premier League goal, his first Barclays Premier League goal for Man United and his 100th Premier League goal all came against the Gunners.

· Aaron Ramsey has scored six goals and provided three assists in his last seven Barclays Premier League appearances.

Score line Prediction:

It is still early days, but the way this Arsenal team churns out results in their favor even when they are not playing at their best shows their true strength and character. It makes the fans believe that they will lift the crown this season and what better way to show that by beating the champions in their own backyard. In United's defense, they are playing under a new manager which usually is not easy and takes time for the squad to settle down (then again tell that to their derby rivals!). They have started to find their feet and we could have a superb battle on our hands this Sunday. A victory against Arsenal would be a real statement from United that they are genuine contenders for the title. A defeat could leave them 11 points off the top after only 11 games. Arsenal have not won at United since a hard fought 1-0 victory in Sep 2006. Form favors Arsenal whereas history favors United. But form and history will go for a toss when these two heavyweights collide in their toughest test yet.

This fixture usually provides for plenty of drama and we can expect nothing short of a spectacle. So will United finally start to show their true ambitions for the title or will Arsenal deliver a death knell to United's title hopes. It all boils down on Sunday at the theatre of dreams

My prediction would be 2-1 to the Gunners with an emphatic win over the Red devils!

Come on you gunners!