Arsenal welcome a rejuvenated Manchester United side to the Emirates this evening in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The Red Devils has enjoyed a resurgence of form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the Norwegian former player taking over the reins from Jose Mourinho last month, picking up seven consecutive wins.
Despite his rich vein of form, he will not be taking this Arsenal team for granted, especially after watching them dispose of Chelsea at the weekend, although both teams will be expected to tinker with their sides.
Cup competitions have been flooded with the use of younger or more inexperienced players, as well as squad players who fail to feature heavily, and with Premier League fixtures coming up in midweek, you would firmly expect the managers to continue that trend.
Predicted Arsenal XI:
Cech
Lichtsteiner Sokratis Koscielny Maitland-Niles
Guendouzi Torreira Xhaka
Willock Aubameyang Ramsey
I certainly don’t expect TOO many changes with such a daunting task ahead of us, but the likes of Cech and Guendouzi look highly likely to play. Willock and Maitland-Niles are another names who get plenty of cup action, but it remains to be seen whether the former’s first-team responsibilities mean he could be spared, or whether the latter will be overlooked for a stronger option.
This formation certainly did a number on the Blues last week, and will certainly be continued this week, but today will be a different ball game, as we come up against a side brimming with confidence.
I can’t deny that I am not brimming with confidence today, but if we play anything like we did last weekend then I would expect us to halt the run of United today, and breaking up their form may well have ramifications on the rest of the campaign also.
Could this match affect our final Premier League standings come the summer? Which youngster will you be hoping makes the line-up today?
Pat J