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Arsenal and Manchester United have a long-standing rivalry because of the rich history that both clubs share. But, the rivalry intensified in the recent past because of the frequent verbal feuds between former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and current Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger.
Tomorrow’s fixture at the Emirates Stadium will be the 47th time the teams face off in the English Premier League (EPL), with Arsenal winning 11 matches, Manchester United winning 21 and the remaining 14 matches being drawn.
Arsenal’s win percentage of 23.9% against Manchester United is their worst against any opponent in the Premier League. Since the 2008/09 season, Arsenal have won only two of their EPL fixtures against Man United out of a possible 14, losing eight matches and drawing four.
The last time Arsenal won at the Emirates Stadium against Man United was in the EPL when they won 1-0 during the 2010/11 season. However, Arsenal had beaten Man United 2-1 in last season’s FA Cup tie at Old Trafford when former Man United player, Danny Welbeck, scored the winning goal.
Arsenal have scored 43 EPL goals against Man United in the 46 games they faced each other, at a rate of 0.93 goals per game (gpg). This is a cause for concern as since the 2010/11 season Arsenal’s gpg ratio in the Premier League is a very healthy 1.88. Man United have a much better ratio of 1.43 gpg against Arsenal in the EPL. The Gunners will be hoping that their strikers find their shooting boots in tomorrow’s encounter.
After seven league games, both the teams find themselves in the top four of the EPL table. Man United are top of the league table – leading with 16 points – for the first time in two years and Arsenal are three points behind them in the fourth position.
Arsenal’s home form this season has been average at best – winning, drawing and losing one game each of their three home games. The only home game the Gunners scored in was in their 2-0 win over Stoke City. On the other hand, Man United have won two of their three away fixtures this season, with the 1-2 loss at Swansea being their only one this season.
Man United have scored three goals in each of their last three league games, and will be hoping that their attacking options can continue to come up with the goods. Arsenal have scored ten league goals, of which five came in last week’s 5-2 win at Leicester. Hat-trick scorer, Alexis Sanchez will be one of the key players for Arsenal in their bid to defeat Man United.
Two key midfielders to watch out for in this game are Santi Cazorla for Arsenal and Juan Mata for Man United. Since joining Arsenal in 2012, Cazorla has been the provider of most assists (32) in the EPL. After Mata made his move to Man United, he has scored more goals from open play (16) in the Premier League than any other midfielder.
Will Cazorla’s vision help Arsenal come out on top or will Mata’s goal-scoring prowess help United stay on top? It remains to be seen who wins this key battle in tomorrow’s clash between the Premier League rivals.
| Premier League (after 1992/93) | First Division (before 1992/93) | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man Utd wins | 21 | 59 | 80 |
| Arsenal wins | 11 | 56 | 67 |
| Draws | 14 | 31 | 45 |
All stats were collected from 11v11, statto, Official Premier League website, FourFourTwo and Opta.
