Arsenal take on Manchester United in the FA Cup hoping to recover their form from the defeat to Newcastle in midweek. Mikel Arteta will watch his team play in the ‘No More Red’ white kit that supports the campaign in tackling knife crime.
Arsenal’s record in the competition’s early rounds has not been particularly great, and they will be hoping to turn things into a positive trend after defeats against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool while wearing the strip. There remain some squad concerns to overcome and the illness remains a factor in the background to the tie.
In a dream scenario, however, these would not be in Arteta’s mind and he could focus on picking the best team for the job.
Although the romantic in me wants to choose Neto as it means he makes his debut, with the importance on this game, I cannot shake David Raya coming in. Mikel Arteta spoke of how the cups have changed regarding selection – a clear hint of the situation with Raya and starting.
In defence, the only real change looks to be Riccardo Calafiori who would come in for Myles Lewis-Skelly to help with dealing a blow to Amad Diallo’s hopes of hurting the club. The other four players remain consistent with maybe a fourth-round tie, if they make it, against a smaller club a chance to change them out.
Mikel Merino should come in being fully rested from midweek and behind him Declan Rice. This allows the combination of the main three midfielders including Martin Odegaard who many thought would become the starting trio for the season, but injury changed all that.
