Arsenal v Manchester United: Line-ups, stats and preview as Arteta and Carrick go head to head

Match Preview for Arsenal v Manchester United

After one game, it is much too early to talk about Manchester United being reborn under Michael Carrick, no matter how impressive their performance was against Manchester City last weekend.

United looked free from the constraints of Ruben Amorim’s rigid 3-4-3 system and played with a fluency and aggression rarely seen this season as they swept City aside 2-0, although it could have been many more.

Their next test is the greatest in the top flight at present: Arsenal away.

The Gunners have swept all before them this season, establishing a seven-point lead at the Premier League summit, sitting top of the Champions League with a 100% record, and remaining in contention in the EFL Cup and the FA Cup.

“It’s a big challenge. They’re a very good team,” admitted Carrick. “They have so many strong points to their game, they are where they are for a reason, we’re fully aware of that. 

“We’re in a good place and looking forward to the game. It’s where we want to be, with that energy and enthusiasm to go and be positive.”

Any kind of result at the Emirates would be an impressive achievement for United, and lend further weight to the theory that they can compete for a Champions League qualification spot.

They start the weekend in fifth place and unbeaten in five league games.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said: “With Michael coming in it’s going to bring new ideas, the intensity rises up, you could see in the Manchester derby with their behaviour and the game that they played. We expect a tough match but we will adapt to that for sure. We are at home, and we know how important that is going to be for us.”

Team News for Arsenal v Manchester United

Arsenal are waiting to see whether Piero Hincapie and Ricardo Calafiori will be fit. If not, Jurrien Timber is likely to remain at left-back with Ben White on the right.

Arteta will also have to choose from Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus in attack. Jesus started against Inter and scored twice with Gyokeres coming on and adding a third.

Matthijs de Ligt won’t be considered for United while Noussair Mazraoui is unlikely to play given he has just returned from AFCON duty with Morocco.

Predicted line-ups for Arsenal v Manchester United

Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Rice, Zubimendi, Odegaard; Saka, Trossard, Jesus

Manchester United: Lammens; Dalton, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo, Amad, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbuemo

How to watch Arsenal v Manchester United: TV and online streams

Arsenal versus Manchester United kicks off at 4.30pm UK time on Sunday. It forms a part of Sky Sports’ Super Sunday offering and can be watched across the Sky network and streamed via the Sky Go app.

If you don’t live in the UK, click HERE, to discover which station may be showing the game in your region.

Stats for Arsenal v Manchester United

• Arsenal have not lost any of their 16 home games this season in all competitions, winning 14
• Arsenal won the reverse fixture 1-0 at Old Trafford on the opening weekend of the season
• Manchester United have not beaten Arsenal since 2022