Arsenal vs Man Utd: Preview, predictions and lineups
Arsenal host Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday for an FA Cup third round clash between two of the competition’s most successful clubs.
Record 14-time winner arsenal Mikel Arteta most recently won the FA Cup in his first season as manager but has struggled to progress in the competition since then. They have not reached the fifth round in any of the previous four campaigns.
United, on the other hand, defied all odds to win their 13th FA Cup last season by defeating superior neighbors Manchester City in the final. However, this success only delayed Erik ten Hag’s dismissal and ensured that the 2024/25 season got off to a bad start.
Successor Ruben Amorim quickly realized the magnitude of the task at hand and United go into Sunday’s game with five games without a win. However, there were signs of significant improvement in last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Liverpool as rumors of possible relegation began to emerge.
Arsenal go into this cup game having lost the first leg Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle 2-0.
Here is 90 minutes Guide for Sunday FA Cup Draw in the third round.
Arsenal vs Man Utd H2H results (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
| arsenal | Man Utd |
|---|---|
| Arsenal 0-2 Newcastle – 07/01/25 | Liverpool 2-2 Man Utd – 01/05/25 |
| Brighton 1-1 Arsenal – 01/04/25 | Man Utd 0-2 Newcastle – 30/12/24 |
| Brentford 1-3 Arsenal – 01/01/25 | Wolves 2-0 Man Utd – 12/26/24 |
| Arsenal 1-0 Ipswich – 12/27/24 | Man Utd 0-3 Bournemouth – 12/22/24 |
| Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal – 12/21/24 | Tottenham 4-3 Man Utd – 12/19/24 |
| country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | BBC iPlayer, BBC One |
| United States | ESPN+, ESPN app |
| Canada | Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet World, Sportsnet Now Plus |
Arteta put in a strong performance during the week and with the North London derby looming there will certainly be some rotation.
We should see summer signings Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino come into the eleven after they came off the bench against Newcastle. Jakub Kiwior is also likely to get the nod to give Gabriel some rest.
Neto is about to make his first appearance for the club after his loan move, while Raheem Sterling is back in contention after recovering from a knee injury.
Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White are all out injured.
Predicted Arsenal line-up against Man Utd (4-3-3): grandchild; Wood, Saliba, Kiwior, Calafiori; Jorginho, Merino, Odegaard; Sterling, Jesus, Martinelli.
United will benefit from spending a full week with Amorim on the training pitch and the manager has almost a full squad to choose from on Sunday.
Marcus Rashford has been pushed aside and is looking for an exit route this summer. He will not play as he started at the Emirates in December.
United are also without Mason Mount, Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof due to injury.
Given the week-long break the Red Devils have enjoyed, there shouldn’t be many changes from the side that put in such an impressive performance at Anfield last weekend. Leny Yoro and Alejandro Garnacho are the strongest contenders for a return to Amorim’s team.
Predicted Man Utd vs Arsenal line-up (3-4-2-1): Onana; Yoro, Maguire, Martinez; Amad, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot; Fernandes, Garnacho; Circus.
Both managers will be delighted that the replays have been scrapped as this could go the distance.
Arsenal are struggling through life without Bukayo Saka and will once again rely on sustained pressure and set pieces as their key success factors against the Red Devils. However, United is likely to offer significantly more than it did in north London at the beginning of December.
Amorim’s work on the training pitch proved crucial to their improvement last weekend and with this week off they can get back into this cup tie. We shouldn’t expect thrills but a chess match between the two managers that could lead to a penalty shootout.
