On Sunday, 14th-place Manchester United go head-to-head with second-place Arsenal in what could be a fierce Premier League encounter at Old Trafford.
Date: 09/03/2025
Location: Old Trafford
Time: 4:30pm
These two sides have faced off twice this season, with both sides earning one win each, with Arsenal beating United 2-0 in the Premier League back on 4th December thanks to set piece goals from Jurrien Timber and William Saliba.
In the FA Cup, United emerged as winners via a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw. In the game itself, Bruno Fernandes gave United an early second half lead before Gabriel equalised shortly after Diogo Dalot’s red card in the 61st-minute.
United’s Premier League campaign is as good as over, with just pride left to fight for between now and the end of the season, as they are 10 points behind seventh-place AFC Bournemouth, while being 16 points clear of the relegation zone on 33 points after 27 games.
In terms of cup competitions, the Red Devils are out of both domestic cup competitions, having suffered a 4-3 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup quarter-final, while suffering a shock penalty shootout loss to Fulham in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup after a 1-1 draw.
Ruben Amorim’s side’s sole hopes of salvaging what has been a dismal season is the UEFA Europa League, of which they’ll face Real Sociedad in the second leg of their Round of 16 tie in high hopes after a 1-1 draw in Spain. Bizarrely, United are the only unbeaten team left in that competition.
On the other hand, Arsenal will be feeling disappointed that they have failed to mount a substantial title challenge, as they are 13 points adrift of Liverpool with a game in hand. All they can realistically do at this stage is to attempt to have a perfect finish to their league campaign and to see where they end up.
Arteta’s men missed a golden opportunity to reach the League Cup final as they were beaten 4-0 on aggregate by Newcastle United in the semi-finals, while in the FA Cup, they suffered an embarrassing defeat to Manchester United.
The Champions League could represent a viable, but, unlikely opportunity for the Gunners to win a trophy. They qualified for the Round of 16 via a third-place finish in the Group Stage, before thrashing PSV 7-1 in midweek. However, the Gunners will likely have to face one of Real Madrid or Liverpool if they are to win Europe’s premier competition for what would be their first-ever time.
