With the mouth-watering clash between champions Manchester United and table-toppers Arsenal round the corner, we present five reasons how the Red Devils can beat the in-form Gunners.
1. Strike force:
At the beginning of the summer David Moyes, holding on to Wayne Rooney like a comfort blanket said, that he envisioned building on the Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie partnership into a lethal force that opponents will be wary of. While the two prolific strikers are yet to reach optimum level their understanding against Fulham saw United at their devastating best in a 22 minute onslaught which left Martin Jol's men on the mat.
Rooney's goal scoring record against Arsenal has made him a thorn in the flesh of Arsene Wenger. The player himself was quoted as saying that the Gunners must be "sick of the sight of him."
While Wenger stirred the pot by saying that RvP was still a Gunner at heart, he would be the first one to admit that the Londoners look extremely lean up front with only Giroud as a striker. No wonder then that Arsenal have seen more goals from its midfield.
2. Bench strength:
Wenger wanted to buy Suarez in the summer. He is a shrewd manager who is sometimes detested for his conservative transfer policy. The Frenchman however had to settle for Mesut Ozil, the midfield magician who seems to have galvanized the players and the fans with a new confidence and belief that they can win the title this season.
However, Ozil is just one man and the Arsenal bench is clearly devoid of quality talent that could come on in the dying moments of the game and turn the match around. Bendtner is Giroud's replacement.
Meanwhile, United have a problem of riches. Moyes has Hernandez on the bench- reportedly a target for Wenger in the January transfer window- to turn to for goals. Wenger has been forced to quite literally play the same squad over and over and sooner or later fatigue will set in. One bad tackle could ruin Arsenal's entire season.
3. Home turf:
United have a distinct home advantage. While the Red Devils have had a couple of unpleasant results at Old Trafford this season already, the team now looks much more settled and confident.
The new singing stand will be in full swing on Sunday and expect the crowd to almost play like a 12th man for Moyes.
4. David De Gea vs. What's-his-name
Wojciech Szczesny has kept 3 cleansheets from 10 games, DDG has kept 2.
There's not much there, but if you look at the teams the two goalkeepers have come against, the sort of strikers they have had to keep out, it's clear that the Pole hasn't really been tested so far. Facing up to Rooney and Robin won't be easy, and we have seen him make silly mistakes under pressure in that past. Arsenal can't afford him having a bad day at the office on Sunday.
5. Because they are United
Last season Manchester United did not have the best team in the league, yet they won the trophy at a canter. This season United have had their worst start to the premiership. However, considering the huge change the club is going under, a settling in period was expected.
United are now 8 games unbeaten, the noises coming out from Old Trafford - from present players to past, and present coaches to past- is unequivocal. Do not rule out United.
The Red Devils are at their most dangerous when they have their backs against the wall. Wenger has seen it in the past when his team's 49-match unbeaten run came to an end at Old Trafford with a 2-0 loss back in 2004.
Moyes has come up short against the top sides so far- only one point from matches against Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City - and will be itching to make a mark.
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