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Predicted XI: Arsenal vs Manchester United

by Leo Nieboer

Ole Gunnar Solksjaer looks set to make just one change from last weekend’s win over Brighton for Manchester United’s FA Cup fourth round trip to Arsenal on Friday night.

Diogo Dalot looks set to make way for Luke Shaw, who pulled out of the squad just prior to the Brighton game with an illness.

Solskjaer confirmed on Thursday’s press conference that Alexis Sanchez would be involved against his former club, but the Chilean is most likely to come on from the bench.

With that in mind, here is how we think Solskjaer will line up at the Emirates for what promises to be an enticing game.



Do not be surprised to see Jesse Lingard, just like against Tottenham Hotspur, used as a kind of False 9 to prevent Lucas Torreira from playing the ball from deep.

If you watch the first half of both Arsenal’s 5-1 defeat to Liverpool last month and United’s 3-1 win at the Emirates in December 2017, you see something in Arsenal which can only be described as a fundamental weakness: getting caught in midfield.

This would have been a point of focus for Solskjaer. He will want his players to steal the ball from Arsenal’s midfield early on and, in turn, move it forward to expose the pace of Lingard, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial up against the home side’s back four.

History has shown, time and time again, that this method is the best one for dismantling Arsenal.

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