Manchester United travel to the Emirates Stadium, where they will face Arsenal in the English Premier League. This is a crucial battle between two top clubs in England and will play a key role in UEFA Champions League qualification. Arsenal will be high on confidence after a 4-2 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Manchester United, on the other hand, were embarrassed at Anfield in a game that ended 5-0 in favour of Liverpool. The previous meeting between the two teams ended 3-2 in favour of Manchester United.
Arsenal have won 18, lost 11, and drawn three games this season. The Gunners have managed to find the back of the net 49 times with an xG rate of 57.84. In return, they have conceded 39 goals with an xGA rate of 39.04.
Mikel Arteta’s men have attempted 469 shots this season and average around 13.5 shots per 90 minutes. They have managed to hit the target 156 times with an average of 4.49 shots per 90 minutes. The above viz shows that the Gunners have attempted the most shots from outside the opposition’s penalty box. Of these 197 shots, 53 were on target.
The above map shows the threat creation zones throughout the season for the home team. Arsenal have attacked and created threats more from the right side. Bukayo Saka has created the most threats and features from that side. His teammate, Martin Odegaard, plays the number ten role and likes to drift towards the right. He has created the second-highest threat rate.
Arsenal will once again be without Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey for this game. However, there is a positive in the Gunners camp as Takehiro Tomiyasu is back in contention and could make his first appearance since January. Eddie Nketiah is once again expected to lead the line after scoring two goals against Chelsea.
Manchester United’s 0-4 defeat against Liverpool was their ninth defeat of the season. They have won their other 15 games and drawn nine. The Red Devils have managed to score 52 goals and have conceded 48 goals in return. The xG rate of the team is 48.21, and the xGA rate is 50.33. The above map shows that Manchester United players attempt around 19 passes into the opposition’s penalty area per 90 minutes. They have attempted 707 passes and have been successful 343 times.
The Red Devils average 12.2 shots per 90 minutes and have attempted 439 shots this season. They have managed to hit the target 157 times with an average of 4.38 shots per 90 minutes. The away team attempted 174 shots from outside the opposition’s penalty box, and 46 of them were on target.
The Red Devils have created more threats from the left side in comparison to the right side. Bruno Fernandes has been their best player by far and has created the greatest threat. Alex Telles has created the second-highest threat, and the player is also behind some of the set-pieces.
Manchester United are likely to be without Paul Pogba for the remainder of the season after the midfielder picked up an injury in their loss against Liverpool. Fred, Edinson Cavani, and Luke Shaw are the other notable absentees. However, there are some positives, as Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to return to the starting XI, and Scott McTominay and Raphael Varane have returned to training.
Arsenal will be looking for back-to-back victories to climb the table. Manchester United, on the other hand, will look to return to winning ways and get level on points with the Gunners. This match is a must-win game for both teams.
