12 January 2025

Arsenal welcome Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium for Sunday's FA Cup third round match between two of the most successful teams in the competition.

Record winners 14 times Arsenal He last lifted the FA Cup during Mikel Arteta's first season at the helm but has struggled to progress in the competition since then. They had not reached the fifth round in any of the previous four campaigns.

Meanwhile, United won their 13th FA Cup against the odds last season, beating superior neighbors Manchester City in the final. However, this success only delayed Erik ten Hag's sacking and ensured the 2024/25 season got off to a poor start.

Ruben Amorim's successor quickly gauged the size of the task available to him, and United enter Sunday's match five games without a win. However, there were signs of significant improvement last weekend during their 2-2 draw with Liverpool, just as narratives surrounding potential relegation began to emerge.

Arsenal enters this cup match after losing the first leg Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle 2-0.

here 90 minutes Guide for Sunday FA Cup Third round draw.

Arsenal and Manchester United live results (last five matches)

Current form (all competitions)

Arsenal

Man United

Arsenal 0-2 Newcastle – 01/07/25

Liverpool 2-2 Manchester United – 01/05/25

Brighton 1-1 Arsenal – 04/01/25

Manchester United 0-2 Newcastle – 12/30/24

Brentford 1-3 Arsenal – 01/01/25

Wolverhampton 2-0 Manchester United – 12/26/24

Arsenal 1-0 Ipswich – 27/12/24

Manchester United 0-3 Bournemouth – 12/22/24

Crystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal – 12/21/24

Tottenham 4-3 Manchester United – 12/19/24

nation

TV Channel/Live Broadcast

UK

BBC iPlayer, BBC One

US

ESPN+, the ESPN app

Canada

Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet World, Sportsnet Now Plus

Mikel Merino

Mikel Merino was an unused substitute in midweek/Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Arteta has been solid in midweek and there is bound to be some rotation going into the upcoming North London derby.

We should see summer arrivals Riccardo Calafiore and Mikel Merino slot into the starting line-up after failing to feature against Newcastle. Jacob Kuyor should also get the nod to give Gabriel some relief.

Neto is about 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 Nwaniri, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White are all injured.

Arsenal's expected lineup against Manchester United (4-3-3): grandson; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Calafiore; Jorginho, Merino, Odegaard; Sterling, Jesus, Martinelli.

Reuben Amorim

United enjoyed a full week at the training ground with Amorim/Karl Riessen/Getty Images

United will benefit from spending a full week at the training ground with Amorim, and the manager has almost a fully prepared squad to choose from on Sunday.

Marcus Rashford has been let go and is looking for a way out this summer. He will not play after starting at the Emirates Stadium in December.

United are also missing Mason Mount, Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof through injury.

There shouldn't be too many changes to the side that performed admirably at Anfield last weekend given the break-week the Red Devils enjoyed. Lenny Euro and Alejandro Garnacho are the two strongest contenders to return to the Amorim squad.

The expected lineup for Man United against Arsenal (3-4-2-1): Onana; Euro, Maguire, Martinez; Amad, Ugarte, Maino, Dalot; Fernandez, Garnacho; zircon.

Both managers would be thrilled to cancel the replay because this replay could go too far.

Arsenal will struggle throughout their lives without Bukayo Saka, and they will once again look to constant pressing and set-pieces as their primary paths to success against the Red Devils. However, United must offer much more than they did in north London at the start of December.

Amorim's work on the training pitch proved to be a key factor in their improvement last weekend, and having a week off will lead to their new approach to the cup clash. We should not expect excitement and spills, but instead, a chess match between managers – a match that could lead to a penalty shootout.

Prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Manchester United (Manchester United wins on penalties)

Read the latest FA Cup news, previews and reviews here

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