Manchester United host Arsenal Monday night in what is the only all-big six clash of this Premier League weekend. The Red Devils come in to this one with an injury crisis up top, and with loads of short and long term issues to fix. The Red Devils currently sit eighth in the table, four places and three points behind the visitors.
Worse yet, they have a lot of negative momentum right now as United needed penalties to escape against minnows Rochdale in midweek EFL cup competition. The previous week they barely survived against another smaller club, FC Astana, in the UEL.
Google’s result probability: 40% United win, 27% draw, 33% Gunners victory
Odds via Betway: United win at 11/8, draw 12/5, Arsenal win 19/10.
Arsenal team news: go to this link
Starting XI predictions: United Arsenal
Their fitness crisis, and the selection head ache that it brings for manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, doesn’t help things. Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba are all unlikely to play Monday night.
“I wouldn’t put my life on it [having Martial and Rashford available],” Solskjaer said at his news conference today.
“It’s part of the game, working with what you have. The situation [with Pogba] is he finished the game [against Rochdale] but he got a knock to his ankle which is very swollen so it was better for him not to go there [to the meal] with the team and he’s in a race for Monday.”
Martial has missed five games due to the thigh injury he suffered before the international break while Rashford suffered a groin injury last weekend in the loss to West Ham United.
There is good news though, their young stellar left back, who got hurt in the loss to Crystal Palace, seems to be on the comeback trail.
“Luke [Shaw] is back in training [on Friday]. He’s working really hard and we hope to see him before the international break. Maybe Monday.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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