Emirates showdown
The marquee Premier League fixture of the upcoming weekend will see Arsenal and United face off in the English capital.
The two sides will of course head into proceedings at the Emirates on the back of altogether contrasting midweek fortunes.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners carried forth a fine recent spell of league form to make it 5 wins from 6, courtesy of a 3-1 downing of Southampton.
Manchester United, on the other hand, saw their title chances dealt a serious blow, en route to a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Sheffield United last night.
Sheffield United have had no luck all season…
Maybe they were due a goal like this 😬
Oliver Burke gives The Blades the lead for the second time at Old Trafford! pic.twitter.com/xapKikRbZF
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 27, 2021
As such, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men will be gunning for revenge when they make the trip to north London in 48 hours’ time, having also been comdemned to defeat in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford back in November.
‘Nothing too serious’
In turn, Mikel Arteta will no doubt be desperate to have as many of his side’s key performers available for selection, ahead of what is expected to prove a tightly-contested affair.
And, as outlined above, if the latest word stemming from the media is to be believed, then Arsenal’s prospects, on Thursday, appear to have been boosted.
This comes amid fresh hope that Thomas Partey could be available to feature versus United.
Ghanaian international Partey was of course forced off late in the Gunners’ win at Southampton during the week, after pulling up with a muscular problem.
As per the reliable Charles Watts, who claims to have spoken to sources close to the midfielder himself, though, Partey’s issue is not a serious one, with ‘fingers crossed’ that he will be fit to return to the fray this weekend:
NEW: Charles Watts: “I have spoken to people close to Thomas Partey and they were hopeful that he would be alright for the weekend, and that it was nothing too serious, so fingers crossed on that one.”https://t.co/LVec0i76Wh pic.twitter.com/VcPSKUsEyK
— Arsènic™ (@MrArsenicTM) January 28, 2021
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