arsenal vs manchester united

TEAM NEWS

Arsenal will be without defender Hector Bellerin due to a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan won’t feature against his former club Manchester United as he continues his recovery from a fractured metatarsal.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer say United’s Alexis Sanchez is available after a recent hamstring problem while goalkeeper David de Gea is rested.

Marcos Rojo and Marouane Fellaini remain unavailable because of injury.

Chris Smalling is training after a foot problem, while Luke Shaw has recovered from the illness that caused him to miss last weekend’s win over Brighton.

MOTD COMMENTATOR’S NOTES

The first mega-match of this season’s FA Cup comes early, featuring the competition’s best ever sides, whose previous clashes have provided some of its most iconic moments.

Alan Sunderland….Ryan Giggs….their joyous, sprinting celebrations – many of us don’t need to YouTube search to ‘see’ them.

It really could be a tie to give us new memories too, with both sides full of confidence having shown in the last fortnight that they can beat fellow ‘big guns’.

Yes, we’ll enjoy the ongoing drama of their Premier League race for the top four, but you can’t beat a game with instant jeopardy – the feature film version of a smash hit series.

Get the popcorn in.

VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT

Arsenal head coach Unai Emery on Manchester United: “It’s a different team. It’s the same players but they’re playing with a big performance now.

“I was watching their last matches and each player has a lot of confidence, with big performances, and now they are very dangerous.

“For us, it’s good because it’s a very big test for us in this competition.”

LIVE STREAMING ARSENAL VS MANCHESTER UNITED.

Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: “That’s the one fierce football rivalry of my years here as a player.

“We were always the closest rivals. They won the double, we won the treble. The games were just fantastic.

“We had a great team, and they had a very good team. There were some tackles flying in between the two teams. They were fantastic games.”

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• Arsenal have won their only two previous FA Cup matches at home to Manchester United.
• However, the Gunners have only won one of the last six meetings in all competitions (D2, L3).
• There has been a red card in five of the past eight FA Cup ties between the sides.

Arsenal

• Arsenal have only lost two home games in all competitions this season, winning 13 and drawing three.
• They have reached the fifth round or better in seven of the past eight seasons – their only failure to do so coming last season against Nottingham Forest.
• The Gunners have gone on to win the FA Cup in the previous three seasons they’ve knocked out United – in 2002-03, 2004-05 and 2014-15.
• Arsenal have won 12 of their last 13 FA Cup matches against fellow Premier League sides.

Manchester United

• United have won all seven matches under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, scoring 19 and conceding just four.
• They have only conceded one goal in three away games since Solskjaer took over.
• Manchester United have only lost one of their last 14 FA Cup fourth-round ties.
• Romelu Lukaku has scored 13 goals in his past 14 FA Cup games, including six in seven for United.
• With nine goals and nine assists, Alexis Sanchez has been directly involved in 18 goals in 19 FA Cup appearances during his time at Arsenal and Manchester United.