Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho will renew their long-standing rivalry on Saturday as Arsenal battle Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium.
*Please note this article was written prior to their midweek fixtures on 28 and 29 November.
To Win
Arsenal 31/20
Draw 47/20
Man United 17/10
Arsenal
Wenger had never beaten Mourinho in 11 Premier League meetings during the Portuguese’s two spells as Chelsea manager, with Mourinho victorious on five occasions. And that run stretched to 12 games when Mourinho faced Arsenal for the first time as United boss, drawing 1-1 at Old Trafford last season. But Wenger finally got one over the Portuguese in their last meeting by claiming a 2-0 victory at the Emirates in May.
That was Arsenal’s second straight home win over United. The previous campaign, they eased to a 3-0 triumph thanks to two superb goals by Alexis Sanchez and strike from Mesut Ozil. The Gunners 
always fancy themselves of victory at the Emirates where they’ve been in superb form. At the time of writing, Wenger’s side are 13 league games undefeated with 12 wins, including 11 in a row.
In the league this season, the Gunners recorded home wins over Leicester, Bournemouth, West Brom, Brighton, Swansea and Tottenham. In those games, they scored 15 goals while keeping four clean sheets and conceding just four times. Arsenal haven’t conceded a goal this season when Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi have played together.
The Gunners are incredibly tough to beat at home. Liverpool were the only side from the big teams to win at the Emirates last season. In the 2015/16 campaign, Wenger’s side lost on their turf to Chelsea and the previous season, they were beaten 2-1 by Manchester United.
Wenger will be sweating on the fitness of Ozil, who is reportedly on Manchester United’s radar. The German playmaker was sorely missed in Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Burnley last Sunday. The 29-year-old missed out due to illness and is expected to miss Wednesday’s tie against Huddersfield. Arsenal will be desperate to welcome back their German star and have their all-star trio of Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette and Alexis Sanchez.
Manchester United
Manchester United look to have lost their spark and swagger they showed earlier in the season, with Mourinho coming under immense scrutiny. But for all the backlash that the Portuguese has faced, his team are still currently second in the Premier League table and boast the best defensive record in the league.
The Red Devils failed to beat the Gunners last season and Mourinho will be desperate to leave London with all three points on Saturday. The Special One has a great record against Wenger and Arsenal, but his side have really struggled on their travels this season.
They’ve won just two of their six games on the road, beating Swansea and Southampton. They drew with Stoke and Liverpool and suffered back-to-back defeats against Huddersfield and Chelsea. Mourinho’s side will need to be back to their best to get a point, let alone three at the Emirates.
Romelu Lukaku faces a three-match suspension after appearing to intentionally kick Brighton’s Gaetan Bong in the groin. If found guilty, the Belgian will miss Tuesday’s game at Watford, Saturday’s trip to Arsenal and the title race-defining Manchester derby at Old Trafford on December 10.
While Lukaku would be a big miss for the Red Devils, having netted 12 times in 20 appearances for the club, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has recently rejoined the ranks following a serious knee injury and would be a fantastic replacement.
Probable line-ups:
Arsenal: 3-4-2-1
Cech; Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal; Bellerin, Ramsey, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Ozil, Alexis; Lacazette.
Manchester United: 4-2-3-1
De Gea; Valencia, Bailly, Lindelof, Young; Matic, Pogba; Martial, Mata, Rashford; Ibrahimovic.
Prediction: Arsenal Win/Draw & BTTS (Yes) (13/10)
Arsenal have been superb on their turf, recording 11 straight wins – could be 12 if they beat Huddersfield on Wednesday – at the Emirates. Manchester United are struggling to find their rhythm and have struggled on their travels. I’m predicting a very tight contest with both teams to get on the scoresheet, but I can’t see Arsenal losing this game. I’m tipping Arsenal on the Win/Draw and Both Teams to Score at 13/10.
Chad Nagel
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