Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho have a long and sometimes bitter history as opposing managers, and Sunday could prove to be an interesting chapter in their long story as Manchester United head to London to face Arsenal in a match of massive importance to the Gunners and of mixed meanings for United.
Arsenal vs. Manchester United 2017 live stream: Time, TV channel, and how to watch online
Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger resume their years-old rivalry on Sunday.
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Arsenal are sitting well outside the top four in the Premier League right now, a situation they desperately don’t want to be in. The nine-point gap between them and fourth place in the table looks less severe, though, when you realize that they have a game in hand on both Liverpool and Manchester City even after they play against United. If Arsenal win out and one of those two teams starts dropping points, a spot in the top four could be theirs.
Of course, to do that they’d need Manchester United to start dropping points as well, beginning in this match. With United’s focus elsewhere — they’re in the middle of a closer-than-expected Europa League semifinal tie with an eye on winning the final in Stockholm later in May — it wouldn’t shock anyone to see them take it a little easier in the league.
But United also have a chance to sneak into the top four at the expense of one or possibly both of their closest rivals in Manchester City and Liverpool, something you know Mourinho would be quite eager to pull off, if at all possible. They’re not going to take things any easier than they have to as a result of that possibility, meaning that this match and all its importance could make for a fiery affair.
Manchester United are limping more than a little bit coming into this match, with three major talents out, in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Juan Mata, and Marcos Rojo, plus the additional absences of Ashley Young, Luke Shaw, and the probable absence of Marcus Rashford. United are in no shape for a match against a team of Arsenal’s caliber right now, which will make Mourinho’s tactical planning interesting indeed.
Arsenal are, in contrast, much, much healthier and looking in better shape than they have in some time now. Only one player is out — Santi Cazorla, who has been absent almost all season with a foot injury — and two others are likely misses in midfielder Granit Xhaka and reserve forward Lucas Perez. Otherwise, they’re in fantastic health and look likely to want to take early control of this match.
Match info, plus how to watch on TV and stream
Match Date/Time: Sunday, 11 a.m. ET, 4 p.m. local
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London, England
TV: NBCSN (U.S. - English), Telemundo (U.S. - Spanish), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.)
Online: NBC Sports Live (U.S.), Sky Go (U.K.)
Make friends: Check out The Short Fuse for more Arsenal coverage, and head over to The Busby Babe for everything you need on Manchester United.
Listings for more countries can be found at LiveSoccerTV.
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