- Man Utd take on Arsenal at the Emirates with both sides in good form
- Lawrenson and Merson don’t expect the visitors to win the game
- Much will depend on Mourinho’s tactics for the showdown
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Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho takes his side to the Emirates to face Arsenal on Saturday, and it promises to be a difficult task for his men.
Arsenal have won their last 12 Premier League games at home, and although Arsene Wenger could be without Alexandre Lacazette due to injury, as per BBC Sport, they’ll be in confident mood ahead of the visit of the Red Devils.
Both sides are in great form though, with the visitors winning their last three league games as they continue to keep the pressure on Man City at the top of the table.
As for Arsenal, they’ve managed to move back into the top four and will be desperate to claim all three points this weekend in order to close the gap on their rivals ahead of them.
It seems both Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson and BBC Sport’s Mark Lawrenson expect to see Mourinho leave without all three points, as they’ve made their predictions for Saturday’s showdown.
For Lawro, he’s called a 1-1 draw as per his BBC column, and it’s difficult to disagree with his thinking. Ultimately, he believes Mourinho will play for a point, as we’ve seen him do away at Liverpool and Chelsea this season while his tactics against Tottenham at home didn’t set the world alight either.
In turn, his call on a low-scoring draw seems to make sense as it would come as no surprise if United kept things tight at the back and looked to counter Arsenal. Still, it could turn out to be a thrilling tactical battle in the eyes of some if that’s how it plays out.
If that wasn’t bad enough reading for Man Utd fans, Merson has gone with a 2-1 win for the Gunners, as noted in his Sky Sports column, as he’s evidently convinced by their home form.
The Lacazette setback could be problematic for Arsenal, but Wenger will undoubtedly be confident that the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and others can step up and prove that the faith of the pundits in Arsenal getting something from the game was well-founded.