Manchester United are ready to make a push for a spot at Wembley, with Louis Van Gaal ready to go to battle with Arsene Wenger.
Both men are locked in a fight for the Champions League places in the Premier League, while they must go past one another to get to Wembley for the FA Cup semi-final in April.
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With the boss admitting that the competition is a priority for his side this season, alongside finishing in the Top 4, Van Gaal is expected to field his strongest side at Old Trafford with the intention of inflicting a second defeat on their rivals this season.
David De Gea was seen limping during the win over Newcastle but shook it off in time to make another crucial save late on to deny the Magpies an equaliser. Victor Valdes is yet to make his debut for the club but has been left out of the match-day squad for the last two games with a minor injury, so De Gea will undoubtedly continue between the sticks.
Antonio Valencia has been a stalwart at right-back for Louis van Gaal this season, cementing his place in the side in the absense of Rafael. The Brazilian is almost certain to be moved on during the summer with just twelve months remaining on his contract and with Southampton man Nathaniel Clyne identified as the No.1 target, Valencia’s first team dependency may be coming to an end. However, despite the growth of youngster Paddy McNair this season, Valencia will surely continue at right-back.
Phil Jones returned to the match-day squad after illness during the midweek win over Newcastle, while Chris Smalling turned in another good performance. The ex-Fulham man has been in the form of his life since his red card against Manchester City earlier in the season and is deserving of his spot in the starting line-up. Jonny Evans will almost certainly miss the game after being charged with spitting at Papiss Cisse, meaning Jones will compete with Smalling to partner Rojo at centre-back.
Van Gaal revealed post game that Luke Shaw missed the game as he didn’t want to risk him following his tight hamstring but the boss said he will be fit to face Arsenal. Shaw’s return will be a big boost as the club will get their best left-back and centre-back into their natural positions once more.
Daley Blind is a certain starter when fit under Louis Van Gaal, despite the return of Michael Carrick. Carrick came on in the final four minutes during the week after missing four weeks with a calf injury but it’s expected to be too soon for him to return to the starting line-up against Arsenal. While he’d definitely do a job, the mobility of Blind will be more useful against the fluent attack of Arsenal midfielders.
Blind’s partner in midfield remains a mystery though. Ander Herrera has been in excellent form this month, bagging the Player of the Month award in the process and finally looks to have won Louis van Gaal’s trust. But with the Dutch coach having a soft spot for Marouane Fellaini’s physicality too, it’s possible he could miss out.
Another option Manchester United is that van Gaal could continue using Fellaini in the No.10 role. With Wayne Rooney returning to the striker position he made his name in, Fellaini’s physicality brings a sense of ‘balance’ to the side defensively as he can drop in to make it 4-5-1 when defending. It’s something van Gaal has experimented with successfully and he may be tempted to do so again.
After the boss’ admission that Ashley Young is his type of player, it seems unthinkable that the Englishman will be dropped in his current form. Young was superb in the win over Sunderland, before struggling against Newcastle before coming up with the winning goal late on in the game. He has a good record against Arsenal too, scoring twice in the 8-2 win back in 2012 and he’d love to add to his only goal so far this season.
With Angel Di Maria’s form a worry for fans, there are still calls for the Argentine to sit this one out. While it seems unlikely that van Gaal will drop his record signing for such an important game, Adnan Januzaj has been knocking on the door for a while now and his performances are backing his case up. I expect Di Maria to get another chance to shine – and this time he’ll take it.
Credit: sharemytactics.com
Credit: sharemytactics.com