Arsenal to prove title credentials against Man Utd
Manchester United's long winning run in all competitions came to end in injury time at Crystal Palace in midweek, and Erik ten Hag's men will have to dust themselves down for another trip to the capital to face Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday afternoon at the Emirates. The Gunners last played a week ago when they were clearly the better side in the north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur. They'll be the fresher team and will relish another tough examination of their title hopes. Read our preview here:
Ready, steady, Eddie
Having lost out on the signing of left-sided forward Mykhailo Mudryk to rivals Chelsea, Mikel Arteta and Edu have turned to Leandro Trossard from Brighton & Hove Albion for a much more modest fee. At the time of writing, his registration hasn't been confirmed in time for Sunday's game, but he'll almost certainly have an excellent view of his new teammates from the stands. Eddie Nketiah continues to prove the doubters wrong up top whilst Gabriel Jesus remains sidelined - though the 23 year old didn't notch against Spurs, he put the kind of classy, selfless performance that endears players to supporters and colleagues alike. Mohamed Elneny and Reiss Nelson are set to be the only other absentees, though neither would be in the first XI even if fit - there is a consistency to the lineup that is helping no end in terms of results and performances.
A real Fred-Case
Bruno Fernandes once again demonstrated how much he is relishing a free role with the goal that gave ten Hag's outfit the lead at Selhurst Park, though he has never been renowned for his tracking back. A lackadaisical approach to defending meant Casemiro had to bring down Wilfried Zaha rashly on the edge of the area, earning himself a yellow card and a costly suspension for this weekend. In his stead, Fred and Christian Eriksen are likely to be the double pivot - the former is adept here but the latter is far more suited to advancing up the pitch, with tackling the weakest area of his game by some distance. Wout Weghorst made his bow in the midweek clash, and is set to lead the line again.
Betting tip
Parimatch have odds of 3.40 for an Arsenal win (with both teams scoring) that will only raise expectations even higher of a long-awaited Premier League crown.
