Arsenal vs Manchester United: Who will finish in the top four?

As one of the flagship games of the English top flight, Arsenal playing Manchester United always whets the appetite.

Few teams have such animosity for each from despite being opposite ends of the country. However, with both clubs falling out of the running for domestic honours in recent years, the league especially, this feels like the biggest tie between both sides for a long, long time. United presently sit ahead of their hosts by a single point: a win for Arsenal tomorrow could see them propel back into the UEFA Champions League places.

A win for United, though, probably seals the deal in terms of their European return next season. This game feels like a massive tie, and probably the biggest game of the weekend. With both sides doing well in the league – but Arsenal suffering a poor European result on Thursday, in contrast to the Red Devils – it’ll be interesting to see how both teams approach this.

For the most part, we can expect Arsenal to keep with their normal 4-2-3-1 formation. The young Matteo Guendouzi is likely to play alongside Granit Xhaka. Could they be expected to handle a midfield involving the rampaging, world-class Paul Pogba, though?

The Gunners also have a lot of issues at the back. For example, Ainsley Maitland-Niles has suffered a lot this season, often putting in out-of-depth performances; Sead Kolasinac the same on the other flank. With Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford playing so well as a forward duo, can the Arsenal full-backs handle their intricate and intelligent runs inside?

Who gets the last Champions League spot?

This is a major game in the season, and could conceivably decide where the teams play in Europe next year. That’s a hell of a lot of pressure to have on your shoulders. Just as well, then, that Arsenal handle pressure so well… right?

The North London outfit have been, for the best part of a decade, a team who like to fold when it matters. As United proved in Paris, though, they are made of sterner stuff. It’s hard to see how an Arsenal side that has seen very few consistent big-game performances can come out of this one with anything.

They simply don’t look like they have much belief. The early pressing days of the Unai Emery era have been replaced with some Wengeresque performances in the last few weeks.

While results have come in, and they’ve won three of their last five games – United have won four. The difference is that, for the most part, the Red Devils have done so in convincing fashion. Especially in the big games, how many times have Arsenal ‘done it’?

If they are to prove they have changed as a side, it’s going to be in this Sunday or never. With so much riding on it and the pressure on, it’ll be interesting to see how both sides handle it. Prior to kick-off, though, it only feels like one winner exists.