Manchester United, after three wins on the bounce, are set to face top of the Premier League Arsenal.
United’s season got off to a disastrous start under Erik ten Hag, however after three victories against Liverpool, Southampton and Leicester, things are starting to look up.
With this fixture coming just three days after the Leicester win, Erik ten Hag will likely look to make some shifts in the XI.
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“Don’t fix what isn’t broken” is the age old saying, but unfortunately this does not apply to Manchester United’s XI against Arsenal.
Erik ten Hag has fielded the same team three matches in a row against Liverpool, Southampton and Leicester City, and all three matches have ended in victory.
There has been specifically positive praise for the back line in each of these three fixtures, who have kept two clean sheets and only conceded one goal, against Liverpool.
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However, although the back line will likely stay the same alongside David de Gea in net, there is almost certainly going to be a change within the front six.
Bruno Fernandes, Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay have been the three players who have started in these three fixtures, but it is safe to assume this will change.
One main reason is to accommodate for the introduction of new signing Casemiro.
Casemiro has come off the bench to give defensive stability to the games against Southampton and Leicester, and many predict he will graduate into the starting XI on Sunday. Having being bought for £60 million from Real Madrid, it is hard not to assume he was brought in to start.
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He will likely replace McTominay in the XI, who although hasn’t exactly been poor, he does not have the same extensive skill set as the 5 times Champions League winner.
Another player whose place is under threat is Eriksen. This is not down to performance reasons, but instead down to the opposition. As Arsenal have won every fixture they have played in the Premier League, scoring 13 goals in the process, the chances are that Ten Hag will go for a more defensive minded midfield pairing.
In this case, it is possible that Casemiro’s partner in crime for Brazil, Fred, will come into the XI.
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Bruno Fernandes, despite having mixed form so far this season, will probably keep his place in the team. Eriksen is also more likely to be dropped than Fernandes simply due to his age, as Eriksen’s games will need to be managed carefully.
The front three is where the big debate lies. Erik ten Hag has stuck with the same front three almost all season, with Jadon Sancho on the left, Anthony Elanga on the right and Marcus Rashford up front.
This combination is not the preferred front three among United fans, and is unlikely to become the Red Devils’ main front three as the season progresses for two main reasons – Cristiano Ronaldo and Antony.
Erik ten Hag recently confirmed that Anthony Martial is unavailable for the fixture against Arsenal, which leaves two main choices for the Dutchman: does Cristiano Ronaldo start up front, and should Antony get his debut by starting at Old Trafford.
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It is safe to assume that as the current top scorer, Jadon Sancho will be in the XI to face Arsenal. The toss up then becomes Ronaldo or Rashford for the striker spot, and although Rashford provided the assist for Sancho against Leicester, Ronaldo’s impressive cameo against Leicester combined with his staggering big-game record gives him the tip to start at striker.
Antony will have had three training sessions with United by the time the fixture arrives, but through looking at how he has embedded Casemiro into the side so far, Elanga is the more likely player to start on the right – but Antony will no doubt be coming on as a substitute on Sunday.
Full Manchester United predicted XI
De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Malacia; Casemiro, Fred, B.Fernandes; Elanga, Ronaldo, Sancho.
Topics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Cristiano Ronaldo, Casemiro, Antony, Arsenal
Dylan Penketh