Arsenal may not be in first place right now, but they’re still in the thick of the title race. They need to pick up a big win on the road against a team that, despite hoping to be in the thick of it themselves, is on the outside looking in when it comes to the title race. That team is Manchester United, and despite their goals entering the season and despite being the home team, it’s hard to see them as the favorites for this match.
Manchester United vs. Arsenal 2016 live stream: Start time, TV schedule, and 3 things to know
As Manchester United get set to host Arsenal, can they even be considered the favorites in this match?
Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images
The biggest thing helping Arsenal right now is their fantastic form in the EPL. They’ve lost just once all season, a defeat to Liverpool all the way back on the first matchday. Since then, they’ve won seven matches and drawn three, which compares favorably to the four wins, three draws, and three losses for United in that same span, especially when you look and see that in the last eight United have won just twice.
TV: NBCSN (U.S. - English), NBC Universo (U.S. - Spanish), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.)
Online: NBC Sports Live (U.S.), Sky Go (U.K.)
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 7:30 a.m. ET, 12:30 p.m. local
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester, England
Three big things to know
- The pressure is starting to mount on Manchester United and Jose Mourinho. They’re better than they were a year ago, but not so much better as to truly justify the massive expenditures they made last summer. After all that, being in sixth place and six points behind fourth-place Arsenal just isn’t good enough, and you have to wonder what Mourinho is going to do to solve the problems United are facing.
- Of course, for all that money spent there’s still plenty of evidence that United’s squad just isn’t good enough. They’re still heavily reliant on an aging, worn out version of Wayne Rooney. Their defense is woefully inconsistent, and the midfield is too often flat and unimpressive. Even if the results aren’t there, you’d expect a better-looking team after the investment United put in this summer, and that’s just not the case. Some serious questions need to start getting asked about how United are evaluating, valuing, and pursuing players in the transfer market because right now it’s just not working.
- Arsenal aren’t exactly thrilled with their own standing of fourth place, but they’re not at all upset about being two points behind first-place Liverpool. That’s a small enough gap that any slip-up by the top team gives Arsenal a chance to catch up, and they’ve been a part of a back-and-forth battle with Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur for the top spot all season. A win over United here would be a good way to keep their excellent momentum going, and to keep the title race in as dramatic a place as we’ve ever seen this early in the season.
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