Six players could miss Arsenal vs Man Utd as Michael Carrick confirms injury timeline
Manchester United will look to dent Arsenal’s title aspirations and significantly boost their own Champions League hopes when they meet on Sunday afternoon.
Michael Carrick will be without two players for Man Utd against Arsenal.(Image: Getty Images)
Arsenal are looking to take another step towards ending their long wait to return to the top of English football. Mikel Arteta is leading the quest to become the first Gunners side to get their hands on a Premier League trophy since Arsène Wenger’s Invincibles in 2004.
Old foes Manchester United will look to ruin their hopes when they travel to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday (4.30pm kick-off), with Michael Carrick’s side looking to make it back to back wins. The red half of north London were jubilant ahead of their showdown with Nottingham Forest last week as the Red Devils hampered rivals Manchester City’s title aspirations in a comfortable 2-0 win at Old Trafford.
This weekend the pair will face off with United looking to boost their Champions League qualification hopes and if results are in their favor they could see themselves in the top four before the end of the month.
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Mirror football took a look at the latest injury news from both sides;
Arsenal injury news
Arsenal face a race against time to make Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori fit for Sunday’s encounter. Both of the Gunners’ defensive options were back in training on Friday ahead of the match.
Arteta said: “Yes, we have another training session. We will see and make a decision regarding the team.”
Calafiori stopped during the warm-up before December’s win over Brighton. He missed the last eight games in all competitions due to a muscle problem, but has gradually returned to full fitness.
On-loan Bayer Leverkusen defender Hincapie has been sidelined since being sent off during a 0-0 draw against reigning champions Liverpool this month.
A groin injury ended the Ecuadorian’s availability for selection. But his return to training strengthens Arteta’s options in defense.
Reports have emerged over the past 24 hours that Arsenal are concerned about Kai Havertz’s fitness. The German star is back from a serious knee injury, but he continues to wait for his second start of the season.
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The 26-year-old suffered a setback in his rehabilitation, although he managed to return to Arsenal’s substitutes’ bench in late December. The fight for full fitness will continue with reports claiming his minutes will be managed.
Rising star Max Dowman remains sidelined after injuring his ankle ligaments in a friendly match behind closed doors. It was against Sunday’s opponent, Man Utd, last month.
Manchester United injury news
The feel-good factor is back at United after their impressive win over Manchester City in Carrick’s second coming as the club’s interim head coach. However, they will head to the Premier League leaders without Matthijs de Ligt as his recovery is expected to take longer than expected.
The Dutchman could return from injury in the coming weeks. However, the recovery from his back injury has slightly delayed his return date.
Carrick said: “He had a little setback before I got there, just a little one. He was a little slower than we would have liked.
“He’s getting closer. Hopefully he’ll be back in the next few weeks.”
Joshua Zirkzee will also miss the trip to the capital, as speculation over his future continues. The Dutch striker was forced to withdraw from the win over City due to a knock and also missed preparations to face Arsenal.
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United’s caretaker manager said: “I won’t tell you who the team is. In fact, not everyone had a really good experience with the game.
“It’s been a good week. A big result, a big performance and great emotion with the sensations inside the stadium.
“It’s about finding a balance between getting encouragement and confidence from the game and performance and staying the course and keeping your feet on the ground.
“We have another big game coming up. One game doesn’t make a great team. It gives us a good foundation to build on. There’s a lot of confidence, a lot of good feelings in the group, but with that, we know what’s in store for us – and we have to be ready for that.”