It’s not often that a match between Arsenal and Manchester United is a 6th place vs. 7th place match in the Premier League, but such is the case on Saturday. Neither team has been performing up to hopes or standards so far this season and they now find themselves scrambling to get back in the race for a top-four spot.
Arsenal vs. Manchester United live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch the EPL online
The Gunners and Red Devils meet in a key match for two teams trying to stay in the race for a top-four spot.
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United entered the break with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, but that unimpressive victory was their first since a win over Everton back in October. During that stretch, United lost once and drew twice and fell 13 points behind leaders Chelsea. Things didn't go great for them during international matches with several players picking up injuries -- including Daley Blind, who will miss several months.
Meanwhile, Arsenal lost their last game before the break, falling to Swansea City, 2-1. That came on the heels of a 3-3 draw in the Champions League against Anderlecht that saw the Gunners blow a three-goal lead. Olivier Giroud is expected back for the Gunners after missing the past couple months. He should give their offense a much-needed boost.
Key Player: Wayne Rooney
With Radamel Falcao out, Rooney will will need to step up on Saturday to help Robin van Persie in the attack. Rooney played well for England in their Euro 2016 qualifier, so his form is about as good as it gets for him at the moment. If he can start scoring goals and affecting matches, it'll be a big boost for United as they try to make a run.
Saturday's Match
Key Matchup: The battle of the defenses
While defensive players don’t directly match up very often in the run of play, how the two units play on Saturday is going to have a big effect on the match. United’s defense hasn’t been leaking goals of late compared to early in the season, but they’ve also yet to really have their first-choice group all healthy. If David de Gea’s injured finger keeps him out, it’ll be a big blow for United. Meanwhile, Arsenal have conceded five times in their past two games and United would love nothing more than to exploit their poor recent play.
Arsenal injuries and suspensions
Out: Mathieu Debuchy (ankle), Laurent Koscielny (Achilles), Mesut Özil (knee), David Ospina (thigh) In Doubt: Serge Gnabry (match fitness), Theo Walcott (groin)
Manchester United injuries and suspensions
Out: Radamel Falcao (calf), Marcos Rojo (shoulder), Daley Blind (knee), Ashley Young (groin. In Doubt: Michael Carrick (groin), Luke Shaw (leg), Rafael Da Silva (match fitness), Johnny Evans (match fitness), Phil Jones (match fitness)
United’s injury problems only got worse over the international break when Radamel Falcao suffered a new calf injury and Daley Blind went down with a serious knee injury. The good news is that several players -- including Rafael, Evans and Jones -- are close to a return. Both Carrick and Shaw sat out England’s games during the break and hope to return as well.
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 5:30 p.m. local, 12:30 pm. ET
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London
TV: NBC (U.S. - English), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.), TSN1, RDS (Canada)
Online: NBC Live Extra, Deportes Telemundo En Vivo Extra (U.S.), Sky Go (U.K.), TSN online (Canada)
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