Manchester United will aim to crush Arsenal’s title hopes and boost their own Champions League hopes when they meet on Sunday afternoon.
Michael Carrick will be without two players for Manchester United vs. Arsenal (Image: Getty Images)
Arsenal are hoping to take another step closer to ending their long wait to return to the top of English football. Mikel Arteta is leading the charge as he bids to become the first Gunners team to lift the Premier League trophy since Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles in 2004.
Arch-rivals Manchester United will be looking to end Michael Carrick’s hopes of back-to-back wins when they travel to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday (4.30pm kick-off). The red half of north London was jubilant ahead of last week’s clash with Nottingham Forest as the Red Devils thwarted rivals Manchester City’s title hopes with a comfortable 2-0 win at Old Trafford.
The pair will be looking to strengthen their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League this weekend against United, and if results go in their favor they could be on the verge of a top-four finish by the end of the month.
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Mirror Football has looked at the latest injury news from both sides.
arsenal injury news
Arsenal face a race against time to get Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafioli both back in time for Sunday’s meeting. The Gunners’ two defensive options returned to training on Friday ahead of the match.
“Yeah, we have another training session. We’ll look at the squad and decide,” Arteta said.
Calafioli was pulled up during the warm-up before the win over Brighton in December. He missed the last eight games of all competitions with a muscular problem, but has steadily returned to full fitness.
Riccardo Calafioli has been sidelined at Arsenal since December due to injury. (Image: Richard Sellers/Allstar, Getty Images)
Hincapie, a defender on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, has been sidelined since being sent off during the 0-0 draw with reigning champions Liverpool earlier this month.
Due to a groin injury, the Ecuadorian player’s participation in the selection was ruled out. However, his return to training could boost Arteta’s options at the back.
Reports have emerged in the past 24 hours that there are concerns about Kai Havertz’s fitness from an Arsenal perspective. The German star has returned from a serious knee injury but is still waiting to make his second start of the season.
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The 26-year-old suffered setbacks during his rehabilitation but managed to return to Arsenal’s subs bench in late December. Reports claim his fight to full fitness continues and his playing time will be managed.
Rising star Max Daumann remains sidelined after sustaining an ankle ligament injury during a friendly match behind closed doors. By the way, that was against Man United, our opponents on Sunday last month.
Manchester United injury news
Carrick has been re-appointed as the club’s interim head coach and the feel-good factor is back at United following their impressive win over Manchester City. However, Matthijs de Ligt’s recovery is expected to take longer than expected, and the team will face off against the Premier League leaders without him.
The Dutchman could return from injury in the coming weeks. However, his return date was slightly delayed due to his recovery from a back injury.
Carrick said: “He had a little setback before I arrived, but only a little. He was a little slower than we would have liked.
Matthijs de Ligt will miss the trip to Arsenal. (Image: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
“He’s getting close. Hopefully in the next few weeks he’ll be back and around.”
Joshua Zirkzee will also be absent from the visit to the capital as speculation continues over his future. The Dutch forward was forced to miss the win against City with a knock and was also absent from the preparations for the game against Arsenal.
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United’s interim manager said: “I don’t tell the team. In fact, not everyone got through the game really well.”
“It’s been a good week, a great result, a great performance and a great mood in the stadium.
“It’s about finding the balance between getting encouragement and confidence from games and performances, but also staying calm and staying grounded.
“We have another big game coming up. One game alone doesn’t make a great team. It helps us build a great foundation. There’s a lot of confidence within the group and a good feeling, but considering that, we know what’s going to happen and we need to be ready for it.”
