Arsenal Vs Manchester United Preview: Arteta Doesn't Want To Have The Same Fate As Man City And Liverpool

Arsenal met Manchester United again in a duel at the FA Cup. (X/@Arsenal)

JAKARTA - Arsenal's match against Manchester United remains a big match that brings high tension. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was also wary of MU's revival and did not want to have the same fate as Manchester City and Liverpool when they hosted their opponents in the third round of the FA Cup at the Emirates Stadium, London, Sunday, January 2, 2025 evening WIB.

Arsenal did have good capital in the big match. Appearing at home, the Gunners had the opportunity to repeat their success at the first meeting in the same place. At that time in the English Premier League, Arsenal beat MU 2-0.

This is also the first defeat of Ruben Amorim's manager who replaces Erik ten Hag in handling MU. Only after that defeat, MU never got up. Bruno Fernandes et al until they fell to the bottom.

However, the Red Devils had achieved success by beating Manchester City 2-1 in the Mancester Derby at Etihad. Not stopping there, United, who were killed by Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United with the same score 2-0, almost humiliated Liverpool at Anfield. Winning first, but Liverpool had turned things around until finally Amad Diallo broke into Alisson Becker's goal in the 80th minute which changed the score to 2-2.

Performance surprised MU so that Arteta could not underestimate the opposing team. Moreover, MU began to find the form of play as desired by Amorim.

"Just look at how they face big teams ... and the results achieved," said Arteta, who assessed that MU did not wrongly appoint Amorism to replace Ten Hag.

"In my opinion, there must be a reason why someone who was finally appointed as a manager. The reason could be different. Sometimes the consideration is to improve the team... sometimes there are those who hope they can transform for the team. So the dimension of the work is different," he said again.

Arteta, further, said that amorism still takes time to show the best at MU. He also considered MU to be different from the previous five weeks when Arsenal had no trouble overcoming their opponents.

"It's certainly not easy because you need time to implement ideas, especially how you play and how to explain them [to players]. You need a lot of games to be able to show them," said Arteta again.

"I estimate they will be different [compared to the previous match]," he said.

Arsenal themselves showed a different performance than MU. They played consistently by scoring 13 goals in the last five games without losing in the Premier League. Arsenal's record ended when they had to give up 2-0 against Newcastle United in the first semifinal of the Carabao Cup.

This is what makes Arsenal the favorite. The problem is, will Arteta rotate the players? In the prediction of starting line up, Arteta will field the best squad.

Striker Kai Havertz again got his first choice. He was supported by Brazil's duo, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli.

Meanwhile, captain Martin Odegaard arranged the rhythm of the game in midfield with Declan Rice and Mikel Merino. Behind William Saliba duet with Gabriel at the heart of the defense. They fortify goalkeeper David Raya.

Amoriam sendiri telah melewati uji saat menahan Liverpool. Meski gagal menang, namun MU telah menunjukkan risen. Mereka pun berpercaya menghadapi Arsenal. Hanya MU tetap berstatus tak diunggukan.

Amorim will have his first match in the FA Cup which he calls a 'historic' tournament and has a 'tradition'. He also has not confirmed whether Marcus Rashford will be played.

Rashford himself has not been sent down during the six MU matches he handled. This immediately raises rumors that Rashford will be sold. Moreover, he has been targeted by various clubs, including AC Milan and Napoli.

"Everything is ready to be played. Everything is in good condition and undergoing training," said Amorim.

From the prepared play scheme, Rasmus striker Hojlund is back as a starter. Amorim also relied on Diallo and Fernandes rather than choosing Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho to support Hojlund.

Midfielder Kobbie Mainoo will work hand in hand with Manuel Ugarte. Meanwhile, defender Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui were pushed back into the middle. On the other hand, Matthijs de Ligt remains the first choice with Leandro Martinez.

Under the bar, Andre Onana will sit on the bench. Turkish goalkeeper Altay Bayindir will start in that match.

Arsenal Lineup Forecast (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Rice, Merino; Jesus, Havertz, Martinelli

Manchester United (3-4-2-1): Bayindir; De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot; Diallo, Fernandes; Hojlund