Lindelof And Sancho To Start; Hojlund On The Bench: United’s Predicted XI To Take On Arsenal

Manchester United will be underdogs heading into Sunday’s game against Arsenal.

Not only has Erik ten Hag’s side started the season with some under-par performances, they are also in the midst of an injury crisis.

Raphael Varane is the latest player who has found himself on the treatment table, and it will require ten Hag to make another reshuffle in the backline.

Press the next page as we predict United’s starting lineup for the match at the Emirates.

GK – Andre Onana

The 27-year-old will be disappointed with the way he allowed Taiyo Awoniyi’s shot to get past him in the opening minutes of the 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.

Onana is not known for being a great shot-stopper and it was concerning how quickly he went to ground and made things easier for his opponent.

He didn’t have any chance with Forest’s second, though, and most of United’s defensive problems at the moment can’t be blamed on him.

Onana will be looking to put in a top-class display against the Gunners to help his team keep a clean sheet.

RB – Aaron Wan-Bissaka

The fullback didn’t cover himself in glory for Forest’s first goal, losing a header in the build-up.

Other than that, Wan-Bissaka wasn’t really troubled much defensively, with Forest’s wingback Ola Aina not providing a great deal of attacking threat.

The defender will, of course, have more to do at the Emirates, where he will likely be going up against Gabriel Martinelli.

One-on-one duels are Wan-Bissaka’s forte, though, and his battle with the Brazilian will be something to keep an eye on.

CB – Victor Lindelof

The club have confirmed that Varane will be sidelined for a few weeks with the injury that forced the centre-back off at half-time last Saturday.

The Frenchman has been pretty injury-prone since arriving at the club two years ago and this latest fitness setback will be another cause of frustration for ten Hag.

Lindelof did perform pretty ably in the second half against Forest so you would back him to be named in the starting lineup against Gunners.

While Harry Maguire is set to stay at Old Trafford, the club’s former captain is very much fourth in the pecking order when it comes to central defenders.

CB – Lisandro Martinez

The Argentinian international has had a rather poor start to the season, and that is a big concern heading into a difficult away fixture against Arsenal.

Martinez is usually pretty consistent with his decision making but he is making some rash choices both with and without the ball currently.

He may have to deal with the returning Gabriel Jesus, who is fit and available again after recovering from a knee injury.

Combined with the threat that the likes of Martinelli and Bukayo Saka can pose, Martinez knows he will have to up his game in order to keep them from scoring.

LB – Diogo Dalot

By the end of the transfer window, United may have recruited a new left-back, but it’s unlikely that he’ll be ready to make his debut at such short notice.

It means that Dalot will be required to fill in at left-back for a second successive game.

The Portuguese international didn’t exactly impress with his performance against Forest, giving away the foul that led to Forest’s second.

Dalot will be going toe-to-toe with Saka, and you don’t envy the United fullback with his task of keeping the Arsenal winger quiet.

CM – Christian Eriksen

The Danish international’s reintroduction to the starting eleven came about due to Mason Mount’s injury but his contributions against Forest showed his manager why he should stay in the team.

Eriksen not only scored United’s first with a very neat finish, but he also gave United a better balance in the middle of the park.

The 31-year-old knows the role inside and out, always making the right decisions in terms of when to sit back and when to get forward.

That additional know-how in midfield should help United gain more control, which will certainly be needed versus the Gunners where there is a danger of being overrun.

CM – Casemiro

The Brazilian has looked a shadow of his former self so far this season, and he started the Forest match really poorly.

Casemiro failed to track back for Awoniyi’s opener and forgot to mark Willy Boly for the away side’s second.

He did redeem himself somewhat by getting the equaliser in the second half, but he has to perform to a better standard.

United need Casemiro to be at his absolute best if they are to secure a result at the Emirates this weekend.

AM – Bruno Fernandes

It was a captain’s performance from the 28-year-old on Saturday, contributing to Casemiro’s equaliser with some great link-up play, before slotting away the winner from the penalty spot.

Fernandes has had to do a lot of heavy lifting in the opening few Premier League fixtures and he needs some of his teammates to step up to the plate.

Arsenal haven’t exactly been watertight defensively at the beginning of this season, having conceded twice at home to Fulham last time out.

It is something that Fernandes can look to exploit if he is given the platform to do so.

RW – Antony

The Brazilian worked his socks off against Forest, and it was definitely an improvement on recent games.

Antony was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet as well, forcing Matt Turner into a couple of good saves.

The main issue with the winger, though, is consistency and you would hope that he can build on this display on Sunday.

If he can step up in a big game against Arsenal, it would go a long way towards answering his critics.

ST – Marcus Rashford

Rasmus Hojlund has been in training this week but it would be a tall order for him to come straight into the starting lineup.

The Danish international is expected to take a place among the substitutes on Sunday evening.

It does leave ten Hag with a difficult decision to make in terms of who starts as the number nine.

Anthony Martial did very little against Forest to convince that he deserves another start versus Arsenal, so Rashford would be the obvious alternative. He could thrive if United can play on the counter-attack effectively.

LW – Jadon Sancho

United looked a lot better after the 23-year-old was sent on to the pitch versus Forest.

After failing to make the starting eleven for the first three Premier League fixtures, this may be the time for Sancho to be introduced from the start.

There is a feeling that ten Hag is not the biggest fan of Sancho. There have also been rumours that he could leave Old Trafford this summer.

However, the England international does deserve an opportunity to show what he can do, and he may be able to make the difference against the Gunners.