Defence:
Arsenal’s defence will face a tough task at the Emirates as they look to combat all of the attacking four in Juan Mata, Robin Van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Adnan Januzaj. Bacary Sagna should start in the right back slot and will have to guard against the incisive runs of Januzaj on the flanks. Also Kieran Gibbs should be starting ahead of Nacho Monreal in the left back slot and look to put pressure on the United wingers using his pace to barge forward. Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker however will have to be on their very best if Arsenal were to take all three points from the encounter, the French-German duo have to be on top of their game to gain the upper hand on Rooney and Van Persie.
Midfield:
Given United’s poor performance in the middle of the park, Arsenal will clearly have an advantage in the midfield. Oxlade Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere should be starting again as they did against Liverpool. Mathieu Flamini’s suspension continues meaning Mikel Arteta will also make the starting eleven. Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil and should start in the attacking places just behind the lone striker up front. While the duo were equally poor at Anfield, they need to up their game at the Emirates to run forays in the United defence to get three vital points in their kitty.
Albeit, it would be tough for Wenger to choose his perfect set of midfielders. While Ozil had a below par game, Chamberlain and Wilshere had a decent outing at Anfield. Knowing Wenger, Ozil would never be dropped, but Arsenal really lacked a sense of urgency during the Liverpool game – the man who can induce some sort of urgency in the play is definitely Tomas Rosicky and it will be interesting to see if Wenger opts for the Czech International this time around.