Arsenal Vs Manchester United: The right time to play them?

Arsenal host Manchester United on Sunday afternoon with a chance to establish themselves as the favourites for a top-four finish. And this might just be the right time to play a much-improved, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer-inspired Man. Utd.

This was always going to be one of the biggest weeks of the season. A North London Derby. A Round of 16 first leg in the Europa League. Manchester United coming to the Emirates. No matter how the year unfolded, you could have circled the first week of March as one of the key weeks of the campaign.

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And as expected, these three games will go a long way to defining the course of Arsenal’s season. They started positively, with a 1-1 draw in the third and final North London Derby of the season, although it could so easily have been so much better. They now have the chance to continue that momentum.

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It is the final match of this triumvirate, a home game versus Man. Utd, that intrigues me the most. Since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has taken over at Old Trafford, no team has amassed more points in the Premier League. United still have not lost in the league under the Baby-Faced Assassin, and they are still winning matches, the latest a hard-earned 3-2 victory over Southampton. They may not be playing with quite the same vibrancy and freedom as when Solskjaer first took over, but the results are still positive.

This may feel like the worst time to play United. They are in form, building towards a top-four challenge, with the momentum behind them and the support of the fan base. This is a very positive period for the Red Devils. Nevertheless, there is reason for Arsenal to hope, and it all stems from a rather lengthy injury list.

United have suffered a slew of injuries to key players in recent weeks and have a massive list of absences. The following players will all miss Wednesday’s Paris Saint-Germain tie: Alexis Sanchez, Anthony Martial, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Ander Herrera, Matteo Darmian, Phil Jones, Nemanja Matic, Antonio Valencia.

Not all of those players are expected to miss the trip to the Emirates. It is believed that Solskjaer is holding back Martial and Matic for the weekend, knowing that the PSG tie is essentially over after the 2-0 defeat in the first leg.

But even if they will be fit to feature at the weekend, it is unreasonable to expect them to be fully fit. Add in the fact that Marcus Rashford only just returned from injury against Southampton on Saturday and that the Saints scored first and pushed United hard, and you can see a few cracks in the foundation.

United will obviously be a very difficult task. They proved as much when they won in north London in the fourth round of the FA Cup earlier this season. But their injuries are mounting up. Can Arsenal take advantage?