Arsenal will be desperate to extend their lead over Manchester United with a win at Old Trafford on Monday night.

The Gunners currently lie 8thin the Premier League, three places higher than United in 11thwith three more points, meaning a win would offer a considerable boost to the club’s hopes of a top-four finish, albeit very early into the season. 

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Emery and Solskjaer both in need of a win after heavy scrutiny

Both Unai Emery and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have enjoyed mixed starts to the season, with the former under heavy scrutiny of late, particularly given his side’s ongoing defensive frailties. The Gunners have kept only one clean sheet in their last 11 league games, conceding at least twice in each of their last four. 

Squandering leads through individual errors and a lack of defensive cohesion against Watford, the Gunners have come back swinging with three wins in their last three games in all competitions. 

However, they remain a fragile outfit, with Alexandre Lacazette’s ongoing injury leaving Arsenal overly reliant on the ingenuity and individual quality of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The striker has scored 13 goals in his last 13 Premier League starts. 

As for United, they have managed just two wins in their opening six games of the 2019/20 season, losing to West Ham in their last league match before scraping past Rochdale in their opening game of the Carabao Cup. From a defensive standpoint, Solskjaer’s side have been found wanting, with a high line leaving them susceptible to runners in behind. 

Meanwhile, the other end of the pitch has failed to deliver much better fortunes; injuries to Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford alongside the summer departure of Romelu Lukaku have left the Red Devils with a heavily depleted attacking line. Indeed, United have scored more than one goal in just one of their last 11 league games – the 4-0 win against Chelsea on the opening weekend. 

Failure to win on Monday would see the club fail to reach double figures in points after seven games of a top-flight season for the first time since 1989/90, a campaign that saw them languish 13th in the table.

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Previous Meetings 

Arsenal have a poor record historically at Old Trafford, having failed to record a win in their last 12 top-flight away games against United, winning just three of the 27 Premier League games the two sides have played up north. Each of those occasions were achieved by a 1-0 scoreline with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer featuring for the Red Devils in all three.

The Gunners will be hoping for consecutive league wins against United for the first team since 2006/07 having beaten them 2-0 in March earlier this year. An early strike from Granit Xhaka and a second-half penalty from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were enough to separate the sides that day, with Emery hoping his side can replicate a similar display on Monday to move back into the top-four. 

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Team News as Tierney tipped for start

Arsenal remain without Alexandre Lacazette, leaving the goalscoring responsibilities firmly on the shoulders of Aubameyang, while Nicolas Pepe will be hoping to build on his first goal for the club, having converted from the spot against Aston Villa.

Dinos Mavropanos is available having returned from injury while Kieran Tierney is also tipped to start after being held back from the Under-23s game. Hector Bellerin meanwhile is expected to miss out having featured for the youth side as he continues to get more minutes under his belt after a lengthy spell out. Rob Holding is also available for selection.

Manchester United continue to be light in the attacking department, with Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford set to miss the game, meaning Mason Greenwood is likely to start up front. It would be the 17-year-old’s first league start this season. 

Paul Pogba remains a doubt due to an ankle injury sustained against Rochdale while Luke Shaw is back in training. 

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