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Both teams will have half an eye on a midweek round of Premier League fixtures, and Arsenal on Wednesday’s derby against Tottenham, the third of five successive home games in all competitions. United have an extra day to prepare for the visit of Southampton.
Mikel Arteta says Riccardo Califouri “had a light problem yesterday in training”, hence his absence this afternoon. “We thought about the best possible line-up, and we wanted to try and be better than Manchester United. We have a lot of games, and it is going to be an interesting week. Bearing this in mind, we believe this is the best squad to start.”
John Brewin is watching the ongoing Tamworth v Tottenham tie, now with just a couple of minutes, some stoppage time and potentially extra time to play, and still 0-0!
Ruben Amorim says Amad has been rested after suffering “a small issue during the week”, making this “a good opportunity to see Garnacho start”.
The teams!
Team news is in. United play Altay Bayindir in goal as advertised, and Alejandro Garnacho comes in for Amad Diallo. Arsenal make three changes, with Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Merino and Jorginho coming in and Leandro Trossard, Declan Rice and Thomas Partey stepping out.
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Jorginho, Merino, Odegaard, Jesus, Martinelli, Havertz. Subs: Neto, Tierney, Partey, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Trossard, Sterling, Butler-Oyedeji, Rice.
Manchester United: Bayindir, De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez, Mazroui, Mainoo, Ugarte, Dalot, Fernandes, Garnacho, Hojlund. Subs: Onana, Zirkzee, Malacia, Eriksen, Yoro, Amad, Casemiro, Antony, Collyer.
Referee: Andrew Madley.
Hello world!
This year’s third round has been a strange one. No replays. So few big sides away at smaller ones. Just nine games to play and the greatest upset has involved Brentford losing to a team one division below them. No2 on that list is, what, Cardiff beating Sunderland in a half-empty ground? A free draw is one of the greatest features of this great competition, but sometimes it produces a right bunch of duffers.
So a game between two genuine giants, albeit giants who played each other last month and will play each other again in early March, feels like the king pole in a circus tent, holding the whole thing up. Let’s hope it’s a good one, then.
Last week Manchester United, 20 times league champions, played (and, as you may remember, dramatically drew with) the team at No2 in the all-time-title list, Liverpool with 19. This week United, 13 times FA Cup champions, play the team at No1 in this all-time-title list, Arsenal with 14. They do so wanting to top up their players’ dwindling reserves of winningfeeling. “The feeling of winning, that feeling gives you so much confidence. If you win one thing you will believe you can win more,” Ruben Amorim said on Friday. “That feeling is addictive; you feel it and it’s really easy to follow that to try to win it again. I think it is important for the confidence of the players.”
Arsenal haven’t experienced winningfeeling since 2020, the last time they lifted this or indeed any trophy, and the only member of the current squad who played that day is Kieran Tierney. “I don’t expect to get credit [for that win],” Mikel Arteta said this week. “I expect to get judged on what we do on the day. And what has happened in the past, in the future, it is not relevant.”
That makes today (and, sure, every other day) judgement day. The gavel is ready to fall. Let’s have at it.
