Mourinho likely to rest a few first team players for Arsenal tie

The recent rivalry between the two clubs stems from the years when the pair dominated the Premier League, with their fixtures against one another always the main attraction of the campaign.

Their league campaign hasn’t been overly successful, with United sitting in fifth, four points off the top four and Mourinho has publicly criticised several players this season as his side have struggled, despite a record-breaking unbeaten run.

Click the right arrow, above, to see Manchester United’s predicted team [4-2-3-1] in squad number order.

He’s already a frightening prospect without the unsafe free-kicks, but it just goes to show how badly he wants it that he’s putting in the extra effort, when all we hear about players of a similar age seems to be their inability to work hard, with a few obvious exceptions.

Arsenal’s task is quite daunting considering they are facing both Manchester United and José Mourinho, both historically tough opponents. Everton could drop Arsenal to seventh place if they beat 18th place Swansea.

Arsenal manager Wenger has managed just one win over Mourinho, in the 2015 Community Shield, during his time at Chelsea and United in 16 previous meetings. I think this is a very good way of managing.

9 November 1997. Highbury.

The United manager has already revealed he will pick a weakened team, despite sitting just a point off the top four with four games left. Arsenal needed a result to prevent United running away with yet another title. Not that you can tell from his public pronouncements.

His best stop came on 21 minutes when Rashford took aim from just outside the box and his shot was curling into the top corner only for Alvarez’s fingertips to turn the ball behind. The goal was Anelka’s first for the club. Ex-Sp*rs striker Teddy Sheringham scored a brace before halftime to level up the scores. It may not be the free-flowing, attacking football most United fans were brought up on, but it can be effective. What happened next will forever be a part of Arsenal history.

“It mirrors the comments made by England manager Gareth Southgate this week about whether young players are hungry enough”.

Can Arsenal use this tie to build confidence for the all-important run-in? “But once a sport encourages teams who refuse to take the initiative, then the sport is in danger”. In the last two decades Arsenal have never finished outside the top four while United have done so twice; this year one of them looks likely to finish sixth, the position Arsenal now occupy with five matches remaining.