There were plenty of Manchester United supporters angered by Arsenal FC’s decision to limit away fan tickets for the two sides’ FA Cup fourth round tie on Friday night. The north London cited security concerns, but a lot of United supporters just weren’t hearing that.
This weekend marks just the third time that Arsenal have hosted United in the FA Cup, and they emerged victorious in both of the previous meetings (5-0 in 1937, 2-1 in 1988).
The last three times that Arsenal have eliminated United from the FA Cup competition, they have gone on to win the entire tournament (2002-03 fifth round, 2004-05 final, 2014-15 quarter-final). So if the hosts do emerge victorious on Friday night, keep an eye out down the line to see if this trend holds true or not.
That said, let’s take a look at who Solskjaer might select in an effort to stop that from happening.
The Bank MUFC Starting XI Prediction at Arsenal FC FA Cup 4th Round (4-3-3)
Attack: Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku, Jesse Lingard
Midfielders: Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Ander Herrera
Defenders: Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelof, Phil Jones, Ashley Young
Goalkeeper: David de Gea
Manchester United at Arsenal FC FA Cup 4th Round FYIs
Kickoff: Friday, January 25, 755 pm local, Emirates Stadium
Starting XI Predictions: Arsenal
Injury Report for both sides: go to this link
Odds via Betfair: Manchester United win 17/10, Draw 5/2, Arsenal win 8/5
Prediction: Manchester United 3, Arsenal 2
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.
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