Arteta Urges Arsenal To Deliver Their Best Against Manchester United

Mikel Arteta has issued a rallying call to his Arsenal squad, emphasizing the need for an exceptional performance against Manchester United at Old Trafford this Sunday. This comes in the wake of Manchester City's commanding 4-0 victory over Fulham, a result that narrows their path to the Premier League title, urging Arsenal to secure a win to maintain pressure on the leaders. Arsenal's recent track record at Old Trafford underscores the challenge ahead, with just one win in their last 16 Premier League visits.

Arteta, aware of the historical difficulties faced at United's home ground, stressed the importance of being at their peak to reporters. "Every game has a different context. We know the difficulty. It's in our history when you look at what we've done over there. So we're going to have to be at our best to win the game," he stated.

Manchester United enters this crucial match amidst a struggle for form, having secured only two wins in their last 10 league matches. This slump has left them in eighth place, six points adrift of Tottenham in fifth, complicating their aspirations for European competition qualification next season. Despite a heavy 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace recently, United's manager Erik ten Hag believes he retains the support of the club's owners. He highlighted the team's challenges, including numerous defensive line changes and injuries, as factors affecting their performance.

Attention turns to key players who could influence the outcome on Sunday. Marcus Rashford stands out for Manchester United, having been directly involved in six goals in his last four Premier League starts against Arsenal. With a total of 10 goal involvements (six goals, four assists) against the Gunners, Rashford aims to extend his impactful record.

For Arsenal, Bukayo Saka's potential absence due to injury could be a significant setback. Saka has been instrumental against United, contributing to five goals (three goals, two assists) in previous encounters. Only Thierry Henry boasts a more impressive record against Manchester United for Arsenal in the Premier League.

Arsenal seeks not only a victory but also aims to complete a league double over United for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Their recent form at Old Trafford offers hope, with Arsenal scoring in each of their last nine league visits. Despite losing their final away league game in three of the four previous seasons under Arteta, Arsenal remains unbeaten in their final Premier League away game against Manchester United (one win, two draws).

With United conceding 81 goals across all competitions this season and Arsenal keeping 10 clean sheets away from home in the Premier League, the Gunners are tipped as favourites for Sunday's clash according to OPTA's win probability: Manchester United at 28.7%, Arsenal at 43.1%, and a draw at 28.2%.

This match not only represents an opportunity for Arsenal to assert their title ambitions but also serves as a critical juncture for Manchester United to salvage their season by securing European football qualification. As both teams prepare for this pivotal encounter, the stakes couldn't be higher for this storied rivalry.