Arsenal vs Manchester United: Premier League – teams, start, lineups

Arsenal vs Manchester United: Premier League – teams, start, lineupsArsenal will attempt to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points, but a new-look Manchester United await.Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, left, and Manchester United's interim head coach Michael Carrick meet in the dugout at Emirates Stadium on Sunday [Richard Heathcote and Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images]Published On 24 Jan 2026Who: Arsenal vs Manchester United What: English Premier League Where: Emirates Stadium, London, United Kingdom When: Sunday, January 23, at 4:30pm (16:30 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.Premier League leaders Arsenal are the hot favourites to lift their first English title since 2004, but face an unlikely – and unpredictable – threat from a rejuvenated Manchester United on Sunday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4T20 World Cup: Bangladesh out, Scotland in as ICC refuses to change venueslist 2 of 4Which teams can still qualify for the UEFA Champions League knockouts?list 3 of 4‘I didn’t set out to break records’: Pakistan’s first female MMA fighterlist 4 of 4Azeez Al-Shaair’s anti-genocide note: Muslims tackle NFL fine with charityend of listEven before the sacking of Ruben Amorim as manager, the Red Devils were showing signs of life, having lifted themselves from the 15th-place finish they suffered last season to challenging for a Champions League place this term.The Gunners hold a four-point lead over second-placed Manchester City, following their win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, but do hold a game in hand, and they were done a sizeable favour last weekend by United, who beat their cross-city rivals.That performance, under Michael Carrick’s interim management, has lit a fire under Sunday’s match to evoke memories of clashes when the Gunners and the Red Devils were the two teams to be stopped either side of the turn of the century.Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the highly anticipated – and likely highly-charged – encounter.Arsenal must be wary of reinvigorated Manchester UnitedAhead of Sunday’s match against United, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta flagged ‍concerns over their opponents’ renewed intensity under Carrick.United beat second-placed Manchester City 2-0 in a thrilling derby display, which allowed Arsenal to extend their lead at the top of the table to seven points. Arteta, though, acknowledged that his team will now be heavily tested.“Yes, with Michael coming in, it’s going to bring new ideas; the intensity rises up – you could see [it] in the Manchester derby with their behaviour and the game that they ‍played,” Arteta said.“We expect a tough match, but we will adapt to that for sure. We are at home, and we know how important that is going to be for us.”How do Arsenal shape up for Manchester United’s visit?Gabriel Jesus and Viktor Gyokeres are competing for a place in the starting lineup after both forwards impressed in Tuesday’s 3-1 Champions League win against Inter Milan. Jesus scored twice, while substitute Gyokeres also found the net.“We were waiting for that with ​the amount of games that are coming up, and they are all ‌going to have opportunities and minutes, so great to have them back and, especially, to have them in good form,” he said.Arteta ‌also addressed Arsenal’s decision to send teenage midfielder Ethan Nwaneri on loan to Olympique de Marseille.“At the end, you have to be thrown to the sharks ‌in an incredible atmosphere and club. It’s going to make so ⁠much good,” Arteta said of the move.Arsenal ‘far from perfect’ despite topping Premier and Champions leaguesArteta said his side had room for improvement, despite being unbeaten in their last 12 matches and winning all seven of their Champions League games this season, while Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola called Arsenal the ‌best team in the world.“I think we’re the team that wants to be constantly better. We are doing a lot of things right, but we are far from perfect, and our only aim is to sustain ‍the level we are doing and try to improve again,” Arteta said.“You need to dominate all the phases in the game if we want to have the chance to win major trophies.”Manchester United must not get carried away at ArsenalUnited may ‌have lifted the mood around Old Trafford with their derby win over City, ‍but ‍Carrick on Friday urged his squad to balance renewed confidence with caution ahead of their trip to north London.Carrick’s attack-minded side swept away the gloom hanging over the club with second-half goals from Bryan ​Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu last weekend, underlining their dominance against a disappointing City whose title ‍hopes suffered a significant setback.“It has been a good week: a big result, a big performance and a big uplift with the feeling inside the stadium,” Carrick said ahead of Sunday’s clash.“It is finding a balance ‍between getting the ⁠encouragement and confidence from the game and performance, and keeping level-headed and keeping our feet on the ground.“We have got another big game coming up. One game does not make you a great team, but it gives us a great foundation to build on.“[I’m] looking forward to the game; it’s a big challenge. They’re a very ​good team. They have so many strong points to their game. They ‌are where they are for a reason, we’re fully aware of that,” the 44-year-old Englishman added.Casemiro still integral to United, despite imminent departureCarrick also addressed the future of Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, who announced on Thursday that he will leave the club at the end of the season, ‌when his contract expires.Although the 33-year-old has a one-year extension option, a team source said the club has chosen not to ‌activate it.Casemiro arrived at Old Trafford from Real Madrid in ⁠2022 for about 60 million pounds ($81.11m) and played a key role in United’s 2023 League Cup triumph, scoring in the final, as well as being part of their 2024 FA Cup win.“The Casemiro announcement was for clarity as much ‌as anything,” Carrick said. “It was decided before I arrived; it wasn’t a knee-jerk decision.“But the type of personality and character he is, it shows with his performance last week, where he is mentally, ‍and what it means to be here and finish the season strong.“I’ve had the conversation with him. He’s desperate to do well and finish well.”Mainoo can be United’s main man for years to comeWith Casemiro on the way out, Carrick was eager to turn his attention to Kobbie Mainoo, who he said has the quality and character to become a key player for the club after a frustrating spell during Ruben Amorim’s reign.Mainoo started for the first time in the Premier League this season in the win against City.The 20-year-old had, however, shot to prominence in the 2023/24 season under Erik ten Hag, scoring as United beat City in the FA Cup final and playing a starring role in England’s run to the Euro 2024 final.However, he struggled for game time during Amorim’s ill-fated 14-month spell as the Portuguese coach defied calls to play Mainoo alongside club captain Bruno Fernandes.“This club needs young players coming through and being the foundation for what it means, not just for the players or the squad, but for the club and for the supporters,” said Carrick at his pre-match news conference ahead of Sunday’s trip to Premier League leaders Arsenal.“I think that is something that we need to grasp, and we need to keep building on.“Kobbie is a prime example. To come through so quickly and have the rapid rise, to play in some unbelievably big games and impact those big games at such a young age, shows an awful lot of quality, and in the terms of the character, and to be able to handle it.“Part of a career is a few ups and downs, and sometimes, it goes in different trajectories. But I think we’ve seen last week what Kobbie can bring.”What effect did United’s win against City have on Carrick’s team?Victory over City lifted fifth-placed United to within one point of the Premier League’s top four. With fourth-placed Liverpool’s defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday, the Red Devils can move two points clear in fourth with victory against the Gunners.The mood around Old Trafford was also transformed by the positive performance. Carrick is hoping it can be the foundation towards a positive end to the season as United aim to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in three years.“It was a big result, big performance and a big uplift with the feeling inside the stadium,” added Carrick.“It’s getting that balance between taking the encouragement and the confidence from the game, and keeping level-headed and our feet on the ground.“One game doesn’t make you a great team, but it gives us a great foundation to build, so there’s a lot of confidence.”Manchester United provided a stern test for Arsenal in the first Premier League meeting of the season, with Amorim’s side the better of the teams but the Gunners seeing off the challenge with a 1-0 win.Riccardo Calafiori scored the only goal of the game at Old Trafford in the 14th minute.This will be the 255th meeting between two of English football’s great rivals, with United winning 99 of the matches. Arsenal have emerged victorious on 90 occasions.Arsenal have this week welcomed the return of ‌Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie to training following injuries.Arteta was unsure whether Calafiori, out since last ‍month with a ⁠muscle injury, and Hincapie, who suffered a groin injury earlier this month, will be ready to join Arsenal’s defence this weekend after returning to training on Friday.The manager added that forward Kai Havertz is nearing full recovery, leaving winger Max Dowman as the sole player sidelined by injury.Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice, Saka, Gyokeres, TrossardDutch defender Matthijs de Ligt remains United’s biggest absentee, remaining sidelined with a back injury.Joshua Zirkzee has picked up a knock, so he will have to pass a medical. Noussair Mazraoui is expected to be available, having returned from the Africa Cup of Nations, where he was a defeated finalist with Morocco.Lammens, Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw, Mainoo, Casemiro, Diallo, Fernandes, Dorgu, Mbeumo