Manchester United travel to face Arsenal in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.
As defending champions of the FA Cup, Manchester United will visit the Emirates as underdogs, but that didn’t stop the Reds from securing a point against Liverpool last weekend.
United drew 2-2 with Liverpool at Anfield in a game many pundits expected the Merseyside outfit to win comfortably. Ruben Amorim’s side deserved to beat the Premier League leaders as Harry Maguire missed a golden opportunity to win the match in stoppage time.
The reason Arsenal will go into the game as favourites comes down to how they’ve been in much better form than United this season, sitting second in the league.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 19 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 47 | 19 | 28 | 46 |
| 2 |  ArsenalArsenal | 20 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 39 | 18 | 21 | 40 |
| 3 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 20 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 29 | 19 | 10 | 40 |
| 4 |  ChelseaChelsea | 20 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 39 | 24 | 15 | 36 |
| 5 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 20 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 34 | 22 | 12 | 35 |
| 6 |  Man CityManchester City | 20 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 36 | 27 | 9 | 34 |
| 7 |  B’mouthBournemouth | 20 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 30 | 23 | 7 | 33 |
| 8 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 20 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 30 | 32 | -2 | 32 |
| 9 |  FulhamFulham | 20 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 30 | 27 | 3 | 30 |
| 10 |  BrightonBrighton | 20 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 30 | 29 | 1 | 28 |
| 11 |  BrentfordBrentford | 20 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 38 | 35 | 3 | 27 |
| 12 |  TottenhamTottenham | 20 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 42 | 30 | 12 | 24 |
| 13 |  Man UtdManchester United | 20 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 23 | 28 | -5 | 23 |
| 14 |  West HamWest Ham | 20 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 39 | -15 | 23 |
| 15 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 20 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 21 | 28 | -7 | 21 |
| 16 |  EvertonEverton | 19 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 15 | 25 | -10 | 17 |
Arsenal have also won the FA Cup more times (14) than any other club, but United could equal that record this season, having lifted the trophy 13 times.
Mikel Arteta has only won the FA Cup as Arsenal manager. However, the pressure is bound to rise on the Spaniard after failing to win the league title after several attempts.
United can add to that pressure this weekend.
Time to inflict serious misery on Mikel Arteta
Arsenal go into the FA Cup clash this weekend after losing the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle United on Tuesday night.
After knocking United out of the quarter-finals, Newcastle beat Arsenal 2-0 and hold a major advantage going into the second leg.
This will be at the back of Arteta’s mind on Sunday when United visit the Emirates because FA Cup elimination on top of a likely Carabao Cup upset could spark an Arsenal meltdown.
Arsenal cannot afford a slump because they quickly find themselves out of the Premier League title race, even though they are six points clear of Man City.
Good time to face Arsenal
Although United’s form isn’t too pretty, Arsenal will be wary of suffering another blow in quick succession.
United will have a full week of training behind them which should prove beneficial to Amorim and his team, just like it did ahead of last week’s draw at Anfield.
Meanwhile, Arsenal will have just four days to prepare for the match. It remains to be seen if Arteta will make any changes after naming a strong team in the defeat to Newcastle.
Arsenal also dropped points in the last league match against Brighton.
The last time United met Arsenal in the FA Cup they won 3-1 thanks to goals from Alexis Sanchez, Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial.
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