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Expected Man Utd line-up vs Arsenal, Casemiro and Ronaldo start

Manchester United will be eyeing a fourth straight Premier League win when they entertain rivals Arsenal at Old Trafford this afternoon.

The Red Devils started the campaign in dismal fashion with two losses, but have since picked up three successive wins, two of those on the road.

The away displays were not overly convincing, but they managed to register maximum points which should lift the confidence of the squad.

Erik ten Hag has not made any changes to the starting XI for three games running, but it could be time to do so against an in-form Gunners outfit.

Formation: 4-3-3

Predicted Line-up:

David de Gea had a poor start to the new campaign with few blunders, but has been error-prone over the past three outings. The Spaniard now has competition from new signing Martin Dubravka, but is expected to keep his spot in goal today.

The defence should remain as it is. Diogo Dalot has transformed himself under Ten Hag and he is now an undisputed right-back ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The Portuguese delivered a perfect cross for Bruno Fernandes’ winner at Southampton and came up with another strong defensive showing in midweek as United won 1-0 at Leicester City.

Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez have been superb at the heart of the defence for United. The duo have started the last three games together, keeping two clean sheets and conceding just one goal in the process. Varane has been dominant in the air for United while Martinez has fared well with his tough tackling and ability to clear his lines.

Tyrell Malacia is expected to be United’s left-back once again. Malacia has been superb defensively for the Red Devils, but still needs to work on his attacking play. The onus is now on Luke Shaw to win back his position but he is doubtful for today, having missed the Leicester game with a small complaint. Ten Hag was unsure over his fitness.

In midfield, we anticipate a solitary change with Scott McTominay making way for the home debut of Casemiro. The Brazilian has had cameo roles off the bench in his first two United appearances, but we fancy him to make the starting line-up against the Gunners. He has the chance to dominate the proceedings against Granit Xhaka and an inexperienced Albert Sambi Lokonga.

In front of him, it could be the creative duo of Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes once more. Eriksen looked jaded during the back end of the Foxes encounter, and we won’t be surprised if Fred is introduced early off the bench particularly if the Red Devils manage to secure a healthy lead. The Brazilian has tended to excel with compatriot Casemiro at the international level.

Further forward, we are backing Cristiano Ronaldo to lead the line. He has nine goals in 17 meetings against the Gunners including three last term. He had a lively 22 minutes against Leicester where he nearly scored with an overhead kick and provided a key pass. The Portuguese should be rewarded with a starting role.

Marcus Rashford did provide the ssist for Jadon Sancho’s winning goal in midweek, but he could move to the left wing with Anthony Elanga dropping to the bench. Sancho is set to feature on the right flank ahead of Antony, who could make a cameo, having had only two team training sessions since his big-money move from Ajax.

Expected Man Utd line-up (4-3-3) vs Arsenal

Stats from Transfermarkt.com and Sofascore.com