Ruben Amorim has named his big hitters as Manchester United eye an FA Cup upset when they play Arsenal with the holders boasting a poor record at the Emirates
Ruben Amorim – as promised – has named a strong Manchester United side to take on Arsenal at the Emirates.
The Red Devils are looking to upset the odds when they take on the Gunners in north London with Amorim seeking to ensure the holders remain in the FA Cup. The Manchester outfit are eyeing a third final on the bounce, but have been handed a tough assignment.
Several Premier League sides have named rotated teams, seeing the third round as a chance to rest some of their key men, but Amorim has been happy to go with his big hitters, which is something he vowed to do earlier in the week.
With the exception of Andre Onana, who is replaced in goal by his understudy Altay Bayindir, the United XI boasts a number of their leading lights with Alejandro Garnacho, Manuel Ugarte and Bruno Fernandes all playing from the start. Amad, who wasn’t spotted in training this week, starts from the bench.
Amorim said in the lead-up to their clash with Arsenal: “I don’t rotate because I want to rotate. I’m not different than the other coach. I’m trying to find out the best solutions to win every game and, sometimes, I have doubts over which game I’m going to put and I put the guys who are more fresh to meet the demands of the game.”
He also added: “I will choose the best team to win, because we also want to win the Cup. In the Cup, you never know, so let’s win. Sometimes, it’s better to win this kind of game.”
Amorim though has continued to overlook Marcus Rashford, who is being increasingly linked with a move away this month. A number of European sides are keen with the striker unable to win back his place after being dropped several weeks ago.
United looked a team reborn seven days ago when they went to Liverpool, with many tipping them to get well beaten. The Red Devils battled to a 2-2 draw and were unlucky not to leave Anfield with all three points after Harry Maguire missed a late chance.
Amorim has already seen his team lose at Arsenal, going down 2-0 at the start of December. United’s recent record at the Gunners makes for grim reading and they will need to end that trend if they want to remain in the hunt for the FA Cup.
The Gunners are without star winger Bukayo Saka, who is out with a thigh problem. Ethan Nwaneri has also joined the likes of Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu on the sidelines after he picked up an injury after scoring in the 1-1 draw with Brighton.
Riccardo Calafiori is another absentee, with a muscular injury meaning he has missed out on Arteta’s matchday squad. Declan Rice begins on the bench.
Man Utd starting XI: Bayindir, De Ligt, Maguire, Martínez, Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot, Fernandes, Garnacho, Højlund
Arsenal starting XI: Raya, Timber, Gabriel, Saliba, Lewis-Skelly, Jorginho, Merino, Odegaard, Martinelli, Jesus, Havertz
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