Arsenal know they need to secure the three points when they play Manchester United at Old Trafford this weekend.

The Gunners are likely to be in second place by the time they kick off on Sunday if Manchester City do win against Fulham.

It means the pressure is likely to be on Mikel Arteta’s side as they look to keep their title challenge alive. They will be facing a rather weak opponent, which will make their job slightly easier, but it’s still unlikely to be a straightforward match.

Press the next page as we predict Arsenal’s starting lineup to take on United.

Goalkeeper and Defence

GK – David Raya – there are still concerns about the Spaniard’s ability. He was lucky that he didn’t give a goal away against Bournemouth last week after a poor punch. Raya will be hoping for a quiet evening at Old Trafford.

RB – Ben White – Marcus Rashford is back fit so it could be a difficult game for the fullback, who didn’t cope well with the forward in the reverse fixture at the Emirates earlier this season.

CB – William Saliba – the Frenchman is unlikely to be troubled too much, with Rasmus Hojlund’s form having been rather poor. The Dane has scored just once in his last 9 games.

CB – Gabriel – the 26-year-old needs to find a bit more consistency. He wasn’t particularly great against the Cherries and his team cannot afford for him to make any mistakes on Sunday.

LB – Takehiro Tomiyasu – questions were raised about the fullback’s fitness when he wasn’t pictured in training earlier this week but he is expected to be in contention to start this weekend.

Midfield

CM – Thomas Partey – the Ghanaian has continued to impress for Arsenal since being reintroduced into the starting eleven.

Partey’s presence has not only provided more protection for the back four but it has also freed up his midfield partner, Declan Rice, to play further forward.

CM – Declan Rice –  the 25-year-old got on the scoresheet once again versus Bournemouth and he has been getting into more and more scoring positions recently. Rice should be able to exploit the big gaps between United’s defence and midfield.

AM – Martin Odegaard – all things being equal, the Norwegian international should have a field day at Old Trafford. United have been pretty appalling defensively and the Arsenal captain should have all the time he needs to create chances for his teammates.

Forwards

RW – Bukayo Saka – his battle with Aaron Wan-Bissaka will be intriguing to watch. The Manchester United fullback has been picked regularly on the left-hand side of defence over the past few months in the absence of Luke Shaw.

He is excellent in one-on-one defensive duels so Saka will need to be at the very top of his game in order to get the better of his opponent.

CF – Kai Havertz – not much more needs to be said about the German’s form. His confidence is sky-high and there is a very good chance that he will get on the scoresheet again, considering United’s injury problems in defence.

LW – Leandro Trossard – the Belgian has really stood up to the plate in recent weeks, getting on the scoresheet once against last weekend. The fact that he is keeping both Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli out of the team demonstrates that he has very much earned Arteta’s trust.