A spot in the FA Cup fourth round will be on the line when Arsenal and Manchester United face off at the Emirates in a third-round tie on Sunday.
The 2024/25 FA Cup third round continues on Sunday, which will witness seven matches. Arsenal vs Manchester United at the Emirates is the marquee fixture of the latest stage, with both teams looking to seal a safe passage to the fourth round.
The last few days has seen Arsenal falter, and the hosts’ latest result in a cup match will give the away side some hope. The North London outfit went down 2-0 against Newcastle United at the Emirates in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg. That defeat came after a frustrating 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend, with the Gunners failing to close the gap to Liverpool.
On the other hand, Manchester United will be buoyed by the 2-2 draw against Liverpool, although they will feel they should have clinched the three points. Nevertheless, the Red Devils showed positive signs in the stalemate with their bitter rivals. However, Ruben Amorim’s men have now gone five matches without a victory.
Arsenal and Manchester United have already locked horns once this season, with the North London outfit clinching a 2-0 win last month. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Arsenal manager will be bereft of the services of four first-team players vs Manchester United on Sunday.
Bukayo Saka is the most notable absentee, with the English international recovering from a hamstring injury. The academy graduate accompanies Ben White (knee), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), and Ethan Nwaneri (muscle) on the sidelines.
David Raya will take his spot between the sticks, with Arsenal lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Manchester United on Sunday. The backline should feature Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Riccardo Calafiori.
As for the midfield unit, Declan Rice will hold the fort in the middle of the park, with Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino providing the forward thrust from the central areas. Finally, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Martinelli will combine in a fluid offensive trifecta.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Rice, Merino; Jesus, Havertz, Martinelli
Manchester United
Unlike his counterpart in the Arsenal dugout, Ruben Amorim has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of the trip to the Emirates. The Manchester United manager will be without three first-team players on Sunday.
Marcus Rashford should be available after recovering from illness. However, the English international will unlikely feature as his exile from the first-team picture continues. Meanwhile, Luke Shaw (calf), Victor Lindelof (knock), and Mason Mount (hamstring) remian on the sidelines.
Amorim has confirmed that Altay Bayindir will replace Andre Onana between the sticks. Manchester United will line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of the Turkish international vs Arsenal, with the central defensive unit featuring Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, and Lisandro Martinez.
Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot will be the two wing-backs, with the duo providing width in the final third. As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo in the central areas. Finally, Rasmus Hojlund will lead the line for Manchester United against Arsenal, with Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes being the two creative attackers.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Bayindir; Yoro, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot; Diallo, Bruno Fernandes; Hojlund
Key Stats
- Sunday’s match will be the 16th FA Cup tie (excluding replays/second legs) between Arsenal and Manchester United, the second most in the competition’s history after Everton vs Liverpool (19).
- Arsenal have eliminated the holders of the FA Cup on each of the last six occasions they have faced them, most recently beating Manchester City 2-0 in the 2019/20 semi-final. However, Manchester United have won three of their last four FA Cup games against the Gunners, including their only previous meeting at the Emirates Stadium in the competition (3-1 in January 2019).
- Manchester United have eliminated Arsenal from the FA Cup more than any other side in the competition’s history (8). On the other hand, the Gunners have knocked out the Red Devils more than any other team (7).
- Arsenal have been eliminated from the FA Cup in the third round in two of the last three seasons, having fallen at the hurdle in only one of the previous 25 campaigns. They most recently went out in the third round in consecutive seasons in 1994/95 (vs Millwall) and 1995/96 (vs Sheffield United).
- Manchester United have progressed from the third round of the FA Cup in the last ten campaigns since a 2-1 loss to Swansea City in 2013/14. They have kept a clean sheet in nine of their initial ten third-round matches in that run.
Player to Watch
Gabriel Jesus
Bruno Fernandes, Amad Diallo, and Martin Odegaard were viable candidates for this section, but we have picked Gabriel Jesus as our Player to Watch for Sunday’s game between Arsenal and Manchester United at the Emirates on Sunday.
With Bukayo Saka unavailable, the other attacking players must embrace more responsibility and take the load off. Gabriel Jesus has produced some impressive performances in recent weeks. The Brazilian internaitonal will hope those goals were not a flash in the pan as he looks to guide Arsenal to the FA Cup fourth round.
Prediction
Arsenal 2-1 Manchester United
Sunday’s clash is the first-ever FA Cup meeting in the third round for Arsenal and Manchester United. The Red Devils should be more competitive this time after struggling to break Arsenal open in the Premier League clash last month.
However, the Gunners will take advantage of the away side’s shortcomings in set-piece situations, which happens to be an area of expertise for the hosts. That should be Manchester United’s undoing, although Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes will ensure the game goes down the wire. The Hard Tackle predicts a closely contested affair which will end in a 2-1 win for Mikel Arteta and his charges.
