Arsenal take on Manchester United in the FA Cup third round on Sunday afternoon at the Emirates Stadium. It has not been the best week for the Gunners when it comes to cup competitions. They lost 2-0 at home to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup but will be hoping to bounce back against Ruben Amorim’s side.
Last term, they were knocked out at this stage by Liverpool, who beat them 2-0 thanks to a Jakub Kiwior own goal and a late Luis Diaz winner. They will be hoping to right some wings against another giant of English football.
The Gunners team news for the game has already been announced.
Arsenal’s team news vs. Man United
Firstly, the biggest piece of team news for the home side is the fact that Bukayo Saka will remain sidelined. He picked up an injury in the win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League in December, and the winger will be out until March.
Young academy star Ethan Nwaneri will also miss the game against United. Last weekend against Brighton and Hove Albion, after starting and scoring, the teenager had to be substituted at halftime with a groin injury. He will not have recovered in time.
The Gunners will also be without defenders Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu, who are both long-term absentees from Mikel Arteta’s side. Other than those four, Arsenal have a clean bill of health.
There will be one player available who missed the Carabao Cup tie against the Mapgies in the week. Goalkeeper Neto was cup-tied against Newcastle but is eligible to play against United. It remains to be seen if he will start, with Amorim already confirming Altay Bayindir, his number two, will play at the Emirates Stadium.
It will also be interesting to see if Arteta starts Raheem Sterling, who has a poor record against Manchester United.
Raheem Sterling's record vs Man Utd
After a summer loan move across London from Chelsea to Arsenal, it has been a frustrating season for England international Sterling. He has been plagued with injuries, so far featuring just 11 times for the Gunners.
His only goal came in the Carabao Cup, against Bolton Wanderers, where he also registered an assist for Nwaneri. That was the teenager’s first Arsenal goal, well set up by the experienced winger with a low cross across the penalty area.
There are only seven teams which Sterling has played in the Premier League and failed to score against. One of those is indeed United, and that is a run that extends out to all competitions.
He has played the Red Devils in 26 games in all competitions, but has never scored and has just two assists.
6
1
12
4
3
N/A
0
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21
5
He will not have to face his on-field arch-nemesis when coming up against the Red Devils this time. Aaron Wan-Bissaka gave him all sorts of problems over the years during Manchester derby battles, and Sterling named him the toughest defender he has ever faced.
So, without Wan-Bissaka to contend with, who might Sterling come up against? Assuming he plays on the right wing, which he has done more often than not for Arsenal, the London-born star could face Diogo Dalot, who seems to be Amorim’s first choice at left wing-back, and Lisandro Martinez, who will likely start at left centre-back.
This is a big game for the “electric” star, as football statistician Statman Dave once described him. Sterling will be hoping to make an impact at the Emirates Stadium in Saka’s absence.
Arteta will surely want to rely on his experience and skill, and after explaining he “wants to prove a point” earlier in the season, clearly thinks Sterling can have a big part to play this term.
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