Manchester United’s defence of the FA Cup begins on Sunday afternoon with one of the hardest games they could have asked for, an away trip to Arsenal.
The Emirates Stadium plays host to the two most successful clubs in FA Cup history. United will be looking to right some wrongs against the Gunners, who recently beat them in the Premier League.
United’s impressive triumph in the 2023/24 edition of the FA Cup was the positive note in a poor season. They beat local rivals Manchester City 2-0 at Wembley, thanks to goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
Ahead of the defence of their crown, United’s team news for the trip to North London was announced in the days leading up to the game.
United’s team news vs. Arsenal
The big concern for Ruben Amorim and United is the fact that star man Amad Diallo may miss the game after picking up a small knock. The attacker, who just signed a new deal at Old Trafford, is not guaranteed to be fit but Amorim explained he is hopeful the Ivorian will be available.
There are a couple of confirmed absentees for United at the weekend. Two of those are defenders Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans, with Amorim confirming the centre-back pair will still not be fit in time.
England teammates Luke Shaw and Mason Mount are also set to miss the clash at the Emirates Stadium. The pair have both been out for several weeks, with Shaw’s last appearance coming against Everton on the 1st of December and Mount last featured away to Man City in the same month.
As for Marcus Rashford, who missed last weekend’s draw away to Liverpool at Anfield through illness, his future remains up in the air, with the Englishman not included for the trip to the Emirates.
With Rashford out of the squad yet again, it leaves Rasmus Hojlund or Joshua Zirkzee as the candidates to lead the line. The Dutchman could be a good option.
Why Zirkzee could start against Arsenal
Life at Old Trafford so far has not been easy for Zirkzee. He has shown brilliance at times and has never stopped working hard but has not been treated particularly well by fans.
He was booed off against Newcastle United in the Premier League in what was a poor moment from the supporters on the Old Trafford terraces.
With that being said, he has put in some really strong performances so far in that famous Red shirt. He has four goals and two assists in 28 games, with his best performance coming against Everton in a 4-0 win. That day, the 23-year-old managed to score twice in a fantastic display.
Zirkzee, who was a Champions League winner with Bayern Munich in 2020, won the Young Player of the Year award in Serie A last season for Bologna.
His stats on Sofascore show just how well he played, with the attacker scoring and assisting 15 times, creating 11 big chances and winning 4.1 duels per game. There is a reason football statistician Statman Dave described him as a “serious talent”.
Stat
Number
Goals and assists
15
Expected goals
9.01
Conversion rate
13%
Big chances created
11
Key passes per game
1.3
Dribbles completed per game
.51
Duels won per game
4.1
Interestingly, Arsenal wanted to sign the striker last summer before United snapped him up. According to Sky Sports, they were believed to be ‘keeping a close eye on developments’, but he eventually ended up at Old Trafford.
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This afternoon, if he gets the start, Zirkzee could hurt Arsenal. He is an intelligent striker, who excels at dropping deep to link up play and create space for teammates.
He is not one to engage in a physical battle with William Saliba and Gabriel, which plays into United’s hands as he can bring teammates into the game if he drags them out of position.
Although United fans have perhaps yet to see the best of Zirkzee consistently, he has shown exactly what he can do at times. A trip to the Emirates Stadium in defence of their FA Cup trophy is an excellent place to put in another performance like he did against Everton, and hurt the club who wanted to sign him last summer.
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1 ByBen Browning
