Arsenal welcome Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium for Sunday’s FA Cup third round between two of the competition’s most successful teams.
Record 14 times winners Arsenal last won the FA Cup in Mikel Arteta’s first season at the helm, but have since struggled to progress in the competition. They have not reached the fifth round in any of the previous four campaigns.
United, meanwhile, won their 13th FA Cup against all odds last season by beating superior neighbors Manchester City in the final. This success, however, only delayed the sacking of Erik ten Hag and ensured a poor start to their 2024/25 campaign.
His successor Ruben Amorim quickly assessed the scale of the job at his disposal, and United go into Sunday’s match five matches without a win. However, there were signs of a big improvement last weekend in their 2-2 draw at Liverpool, just as tales of potential relegation began to surface.
Arsenal go into this cup encounter having lost the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle 2-0.
Here is 90 minutes Sunday guide FA Cup tie in the third round.
Arsenal vs Man Utd head-to-head results (last five matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Arsenal |
Man Utd |
|---|---|
|
Arsenal 0-2 Newcastle – 01/07/25 |
Liverpool 2-2 Man Utd – 01/05/25 |
|
Brighton 1-1 Arsenal – 04/01/25 |
Man Utd 0-2 Newcastle – 12/30/24 |
|
Brentford 1-3 Arsenal – 01/01/25 |
Wolves 2-0 Man Utd – 26/12/24 |
|
Arsenal 1-0 Ipswich – 27/12/24 |
Man Utd 0-3 Bournemouth – 22/12/24 |
|
Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal – 12/21/24 |
Tottenham 4-3 Man Utd – 19/12/24 |
|
Country |
TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
BBC iPlayer, BBC One |
|
UNITED STATES |
ESPN+, ESPN app |
|
Canada |
Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet World, Sportsnet Now Plus |
Arteta was strong in midweek, and there is bound to be some turnover with the North London Derby coming up.
We should see summer arrivals Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino come into the XI after failing against Newcastle. Jakub Kiwior should also get the nod to offer Gabriel some breathing space.
Neto is set to make his first start for the club after arriving on loan, while Raheem Sterling is back in contention after recovering from a knee injury.
Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White are all injured.
Arsenal predicted line-up against Man Utd (4-3-3): Néto; Wood, Saliba, Kiwior, Calafiori; Jorginho, Merinos, Odegaard; Sterling, Jesus, Martinelli.
United will benefit from spending a full week on the training ground with Amorim, and the manager has almost a fully fit squad to choose from on Sunday.
Marcus Rashford has been sidelined and is looking for an exit route this summer. He will not play after starting at the Emirates in December.
United are also without Mason Mount, Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof due to injuries.
There shouldn’t be much change from the team that performed so impressively at Anfield last weekend, given the week’s break that the Red Devils enjoyed. Leny Yoro and Alejandro Garnacho are the most serious contenders for a return to Amorim’s XI.
Man Utd predicted line-up against Arsenal (3-4-2-1): Onana; Yoro, Maguire, Martinez; Amad, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot; Fernandes, Garnacho; Zirkzee.
Both managers will be glad the replays have been removed as this one could go the distance.
Arsenal are struggling to live without Bukayo Saka, and they will once again look to sustained pressure and set pieces as their main routes to success against the Red Devils. United, however, are expected to offer much more than they did in north London at the start of December.
Amorim’s work on the training pitch proved vital in their improvement last weekend, and having a week off will allow them to prepare again for this cup encounter. Don’t expect thrills, but rather a chess match between the two managers, which could lead to penalties.
