JAKARTA - Manchester United must work hard to survive the Gunners terror. Before meeting Real Sociedad again in the Europa League, MU served Arsenal in the big match Premier League England at Old Trafford Stadium, Sunday, March 9, 2025 evening WIB.
Arsenal is definitely not MU's light opponent. Even though they played at home, it's not a guarantee that Manchester United can beat Arsenal. Moreover, the Red Devils' record home for Ruben Amorim was unsatisfactory. Old Trafford is no longer a nightmare for the visitors. On the other hand, The Threat of Dream has become MU's nightmare.
Could Arsenal be your next MU nightmare? It could be. MU is no longer an opponent like The Gunners who are on fire. In the last match, Mikel Arteta's team destroyed PSV Eindhoven 7-1 in the Champions League.
The landslide victory made Arsenal almost certainly advance to the quarter-finals and the second match of the last 16 at their home in the Emirates was nothing more than a formality.
Compare it with MU who had to work hard when he visited Sociedad's headquarters in the first match of the Europa League last 16. However, MU had already won first through Joshua Zirkzee's goal before drawing 1-1 against La Liga club Spain.
The draw made MU return to work extra hard in the second match which was held at home to determine who qualified for the quarter-finals. Sociedad had the same chance as the three-time Champions League champion despite playing at Old Trafford.
This made MU play a match against Arsenal not at the right time. When he had to focus on the Europa League, Bruno Fernandes et al served Arsenal, who are currently ranked second in the Premier League standings.
"In the Premier League, every game is very important. At this moment, we obviously need a win. But this is a problem when we fail to win. So we have to focus," Amorim was quoted as saying by the Independent.
"I think our biggest problem is not players. When I started my job here, the team had rotated players, especially when playing in European competitions. We always field different players. This is what makes it not easy," he said again.
Amorima, lebih lanjut, mengatakan bila Liga Europa sebenarnya lebih sulit, terutama pada recovery pemain. Pasalnya laga itu dimainkan setelah Liga Champions dan kemudian tim kembali bermain di kompetisi domestik. MU menyambangi kandung Sociedad pada Kamis waktu setempat. Pemain hanya punya waktu recovery satu hari sebelum mempersiapkan diri menghadapi Arsenal.
Repotnya lagi, MU menghadapi hurricane cedera cedera pemain saat mengepan big match di Liga Premier. Amorim masih kehilangan Leandro Martinez, Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw, Jonny Evans, Mason Mount, dan duo kiper Tom Heaton serta Altay Bayindir.
Defender Harry Maguire and midfielder Manuel Ugarte are also in doubt. They were already sidelined due to injury when United faced Sociedad. The pessimism between the two can be played against Arsenal. Meanwhile, Patrick Dorgu was absent due to a ban on playing after being shown a red card against Ipswich Town.
"The problem is that the match against Sociedad is also important. You certainly won't like being in a situation like this. Because you have a very limited squad. I just hope the players stay fit and avoid injury," said Amorim.
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With the campside squad, the former Sporting coach hopes that MU can stay survive or survive Arsenal's terror. This means that no players are injured so they can shift their focus against Sociedad.
However, MU's record meeting with Arsenal was not good. They always lose in the last four Premier League games. MU won over their rivals in the FA Cup. At that time, they won on penalties 5-3 (1-1) at the Emirates.
"Even though we have to take risks, we are still trying to be competitive on Sunday's game," Amorim said.
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