For the first time ever, United v Arsenal will be a dead rubber. It's not something we've ever said before of this fixture and is quite a disappointment but as United are struggling in 14th and while Arsenal are in 2nd, they are a mammoth 16 points behind Liverpool at the top albeit they have two games in hand, means there's very little to play for in this one.
Predicted Lineup
So little to play for in fact, that I don't even have a predicted lineup!
First time this has ever happened as well.
I do often have problems when it comes to selecting the team I think Amorim will go with but this time I'm hustling more than usual.
We know that even with a full strength side, we were going to lose. Arsenal are much better than us and are heavy favorites besides.
With a weakened United side because of injuries, the little chances we had are even slimmer still.
Amorim did say that his players will have to "survive" this game as our focus is more on the Europa League. With Thursday night's second leg having all to play for after the 1-1 draw in Spain, the United boss hinted that perhaps he will rest some players for that all important clash.
While I do believe there will be rotation, I don't think it will be a full-on second-string or academy side. There should be a blend of youth and experience and perhaps even one or two surprises.
Risks cannot be taken with this selection.
Approach
Honestly, as long as we don't get hammered and we don't pick up any injuries, we should be ok.
Of course I don't want to lose but we probably will and it's not like we haven't lost many home games this season anyway.
We can expect Arsenal to dominate possession and create more chances with United probably trying to sit a little deeper and look to hit on the break.
What Amorim got his team to do against Sociedad was something similar although we did press quite high and also had quick turnoevers. There was a lot of tranistions as well that got us into great positions but we failed to make the most of them.
That is another area where the manager will want to see improvement: attack.
We have been a side bereft of confidence in the final third as not only do we hardly score but we fail to create too many good goal scoring opportunities. Even when we do, we mess up.
United should've beaten Sociedad on Thursday and if we make the same mistakes tonight, we definitely won't stand a chance.
Form
United did win their last league encounter which was that come-from-behind 3-2 win over Ipswich in which Patrick Dorgu was shown a straight red. He will be missing this one because of that.
The general form in recent times though, isn't anything special as we've won two, lost two and drawn one in our last five.
The most alarming thing though is the form under Amorim.
He has taken charge of 16 Premier League games and in that time we've scored just 21, conceded 27 and won just five! There's also been three draws which means United have lost eight under the Portuguese 😳.
We have picked up just 18 points out of a possible 48.
After the win over Ipswich, United did move up the home table into the mighty position of 12th. At Old Trafford, there's been six wins, one draw and seven losses. We also have a -4 goal difference and just 19 points.
Arsenal
Arteta will be beaming with confidence when traveling to Manchester especially after his side's 7-1 demolition of PSV in the Champions League.
Despite him remaining confident that the Gunners are still in the title race mathematically, I'm sure he knows that it is all but over. This doesn't mean that we should be expecting a b-team and crap performance from them though because they will want to beat us (and perhaps demolish us as well) to keep their momentum going and finish the remaineder of the season strongly.
Regardless of results this weekend, Arsenal could only be in 2nd but with Liverpool winning and increasing their gap at the top of the table to 13 points, the title is all but gone.
Their form recently has been a bit hit and miss too as after three wins in a row, they drew one and tasted defeat in the other of their last two matches.
Arsenal do boast some of the best records in the league however. Their 51 scored is one of the highest while their 23 conceded is the fewest. This tells you that they know how to find the back of the net and not let them in at the other end.
When looking at the away table, the Gunners are also 2nd behind LFC with 26 points from their 14 matches. They have seven wins, five draws and two losses with only Liverpool having tasted fewer away defeats. Their 12 conceded is the second-best in the league away from home with only Palace on 11 with a better record.
Arsenal's main issue has been up front as with the injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, they don't have a recognized forward with midfielder Mikel Merino having to do a job up front.
And to be fair to him, he hasn't done too badly as he's grabbed a couple of goals in that striker position.
That destruction of PSV - in which the Arsenal became the first side in Champions League history to score 7 away from home - will make them believe even more that they can get the win at Old Trafford despite not having a centre-forward.
Recent Meetings
The last match between the sides did see United come out on top through penalties in the FA Cup but in the league, it has been very one-sided.
The last four in the PL have all gone the way of Arsenal and in the previous 12, there have been two draws, two United wins and eight victories for the Gunners!
That is very dominant.
Arsenal also did the double over United last season and will be looking to do the same today.
Prediction
I don't care too much to be honest.
We just must not get embarrassed and not have any new injury concerns.
I believe Arsenal will win 2-0 or 2-1. I can't see them giving us a real hiding.
Of course we must remember the protests happening before the match. Depending on how this will go, it could determine if the game went on or not. Would be great if the match was postponed because that is what these owners don't want and will send a powerful message that the fans have had enough.
Background player image: Chido Obi | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)