A true test of Arsenal’s mettle commences on Sunday afternoon at Old Trafford, as an improving Manchester United side welcomes the Gunners to the Theatre of Dreams in the Premier League.
Erik ten Hag’s side ran out narrow 1-0 winners over Leicester City on Thursday evening, while the Gunners continued their winning streak with a 2-1 success over Aston Villa.
Three consecutive wins over Liverpool, Southampton and now Leicester have lifted Man United up to fifth in the table with nine points gleaned from the opening 15 on offer, but a mere five goals is the lowest tally out of any team in the top half.
Following confirmation of his £85.4m move from Ajax, Antony could be at Ten Hag’s disposal for the weekend, while Dubravka ought to take his place on the bench as he prepares to provide backup and competition to David de Gea.
Antony will surely only be considered for minutes as a substitute as well, and his namesake Anthony Martial represents one of a number of injury woes for the hosts, who also have Facundo Pellistri and Brandon Williams out of contention.
Full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw were also absent from the win over Leicester due to minor complaints and will need assessing in the coming hours, but Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia should be in no danger of losing their places.
Being able to bring Casemiro and Cristiano Ronaldo off the bench is a luxury for any manager, but Ten Hag should certainly consider fielding the two ex-Real Madrid men from the off, especially with the latter scoring both home and away against the Gunners last term.
It’s a 4:30 PM kickoff in the UK, which translates to 11:30 AM on the east coast of the U.S.
