Manchester United v Arsenal Pundits' Predictions: Soccer Saturday's Phil Thompson, Charlie Nicholas & Matt Le Tissier discuss Monday Night Football clash
Ahead of the big Monday Night Football clash between two rivals in Manchester United and Arsenal, Soccer Saturday's Charlie Nicholas, Phil Thompson and Matt Le Tissier give us their thoughts.
Charlie Nicholas
Score prediction?
- Manchester United 1-2 Arsenal (10/1 with Sky Bet)
What is the key battle?
"I am laughing already because we have a tale of two bad defences. Are Man United that bad defensively? They have one of the best goalkeepers in the world in David de Gea and the most expensive defender in the world, in £80m Harry Maguire. They got picked apart against West Ham and were nowhere near to earning anything from the match. Arsenal have five captains supposedly and not one of them can kill it. Let the games begin!
"Hector Bellerin played a little bit against Nottingham Forest. Ainsley Maitland-Niles is suspended so I think Bellerin should play. Kieran Tierney should be in, but Rob Holding will miss out I think. Arsenal will play two protectors - to my amazement, Granit Xhaka will still be in, but I would go with Lucas Torreira and Mateo Guendouzi. I would be happy with Dani Ceballos and then Bukayo Saka, Nicolas Pepe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. It is that easy and simple for Arsenal.
"On the flip side, who is fit for Manchester United? Is Anthony Martial fit and if so, is he ready? Himself and Marcus Rashford out. If Arsenal can play a more structured game on the counter-attack, I think they will come away with all three points. Man Utd will try to dominate the midfield with aggression, especially with Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba [if fit] - Juan Mata may be in and Jesse Lingard could play up front.
"Aubameyang and Pepe had chances against Liverpool at Anfield and if they get these chances against Man United I think they will take them and Arsenal will win. It will make life easier for Arsenal’s defence with the Man United frontline."
Who is under more pressure - Solskjaer or Emery?
"Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is undoubtedly under more pressure. There is a lot of anger in the air and Solskjaer talked about trying to sort the team out. Man United are expecting to beat Arsenal. If Arsenal were to nick a draw they would be happy but United want, and need a win. Is it the belief that United are a big club or are they confused? Solskjaer is under a heap of pressure at the moment."
Who will finish higher this season?
"I tipped Arsenal to be in the top four. They have to improve defensively. Kieran Tierney will be good going forward but it will be defensively where he has to be improve it, similarly to Hector Bellerin. He does improve it no end as Ainsley Maitland-Niles is not a full-back.
"In time, David Luiz, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Rob Holding will work and work until it improves. At Man United, I do not know.
"In January, Pogba could be off again and another couple of others may be off, including Solskjaer. Arsenal fans have put Emery under pressure because his substitute choices are poor and sometimes done without a thought-process. Their defence is so crazy, but Solskjaer’s board is under pressure and there is always be a fall-back that will mean he is not hard to get rid of or replace.
"Pochettino could always be linked - dare I say it, if he leaves Tottenham. I think Man United will be fighting for sixth. I genuinely do think them, Chelsea and Leicester are all fighting for it. I cannot work out where they will finish, but if I had to say, it would be sixth."
Phil Thompson
Score prediction?
- Manchester United 1-1 Arsenal (6/1 with Sky Bet)
What is the key battle?
"The key battle here is who can keep a clean sheet. I think Arsenal’s forward line is better than Manchester United’s at the moment. United’s defence is better than Arsenal’s, so if one backline can keep a clean sheet, they will be the winners.
"Hector Bellerin only came on as a substitute through the week so I would think this would be too big of a game for him to make a comeback. People tend to forget that he was not having the best of times before his injury. Kieran Tierney has been out for a long time and will take some nursing to get back to full fitness. This is a high-profile Premier League fixture, so it is still a lot to ask.
"Arsenal will be better off when those players are fully fit but I don’t see that being the case just yet. They are both clutching at straws to see who can get the best back four out onto the field. Ashley Young is still playing for United - he has been a fantastic warrior but his best years are behind him. There are still issues surrounding these areas, so it will be whoever keeps a clean sheet. One of the attacks will be a bit better, but because United are at home, I see it edging towards a draw with this. These are two teams who have not hit their best form yet."
Who is under more pressure - Solskjaer or Emery?
"Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is under a lot of pressure. This is a massive football club and the fans are demanding more. I am under the impression that, hopefully, he will get another couple of transfer windows. It is all well and good posting outstanding revenues but it doesn’t count for anything from the perspective of the fans. He will need time if he is given it. He is like Frank Lampard in a way and will be given more time as he is an ex-player who is loved, so he will get more grace in this case.
"Pressure comes from the media, no matter what the fans think, but the pressure is on Solskjaer. He has not been blessed with a great injury list - Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw are all out. It doesn’t help matters. People talk about believing in youngsters but that is always hard when your team is struggling. If Mason Greenwood does play, we can all think back to how Rashford got his chance, and he took it with open arms, so it can happen.
Who will finish higher this season?
"I am going for Arsenal to finish higher, but only in fifth spot. Manchester United will finish sixth. There is not a lot of difference but at the moment, Arsenal have a better squad than Manchester United. They will be bolstered by defensive returns too. Both defences are not the best but I do think Arsenal’s attack will outscore during the season.
"Rashford and Martial are good goalscorers but not goalscorers who will score 20-plus goals in the season. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette probably can do that and this will be the difference in the end."
Matt Le Tissier
Score prediction?
- Manchester United 1-2 Arsenal (10/1 with Sky Bet)
What is the key battle?
"The key will be for the Manchester United’s defence to cope with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who I think is a terrific player.
"His record since he has come to Arsenal has been exceptional. He is the key if Arsenal are to get anything out of the game. Nicolas Pepe scored his first Arsenal goal last weekend and that will help him out. We will see a more confident player which is good for Arsenal. If Paul Pogba is back, can he dominate Arsenal’s midfield? The lack of firepower in United’s team is probably going to cost them here.
Who is under more pressure - Solskjaer or Emery?
"This is a good question. I would say Solskjaer at the moment, especially coming off the back of a draw [in 90 minutes] with Rochdale. He is under a bit of pressure, considering they are eighth in the table and arsenal are sat in fourth."
Who will finish higher this season?
"I think Arsenal will finish higher out of the two. They have more in their armoury going forward. There is no real focal point to Man United’s frontline. I am not sure Rashford is even convinced that he is an out and out number nine.
"It will be a tricky season for them unless Anthony Martial comes back and starts firing. They got four in their first game against Chelsea and they haven’t got more than one in a game since."
Where will they finish?
"I think United will miss out on the top four, but I am not overly convinced Arsenal will make the top four. It wouldn’t surprise me if a team like Leicester would finish above those two. Arsenal are just a bit better than Manchester United currently."
Odds correct as of 1300 BST on 27/09/19
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