This weekend, fans can enjoy one of the greatest rivalries in the English Premier League: Arsenal v. Manchester United. On Sat. Nov. 3, Arsenal travels to Old Trafford and it will be the first time Robin Van Persie faces his former team.
Van Persie has adjusted well to life with Manchester United and is fitting in well with his new team. Wenger spoke about Van Persie’s success in an interview with ESPN.
“I am not surprised he has been a success with United so far. He makes intelligent runs, he is a great finisher,” Wenger said.
He went on to say this game is not about Van Persie and hopes Arsenal fans are respectful towards their former captain.
“I hope he gets a respectful reception. We campaign against discrimination against all varieties and it is the same when you disrespect players, Saturday is not about Van Persie. It is about us getting a result,” Wenger said.
Arsenal is going to need the full three points Saturday if they hope to get back in the title race. They are already six points behind Manchester United and seven points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea through nine games. Arsenal has struggled to score many goals so far this season. Through nine games, they have only scored 14 goals. However, the defense has been much better this season than in the past, conceding only six goals, the lowest amount in the Premier League.
Arsenal fans are hoping the three summer signings start producing more goals. Unlike Van Persie at Manchester United, Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud, and Santi Cazorla have combined for five goals and five assists compared to Van Persie’s seven goals and three assists.
The men in Manchester United jerseys are currently in second place in the Premier League, only one point behind leaders Chelsea following United’s controversial victory at Stamford Bridge last weekend.
Unlike Arsenal, Manchester United has not had difficulties finding the back of the net. They have scored 24 goals in nine games, but have let up far more goals than their opponent, conceding 13 times.
Last season, Manchester United won both fixtures against Arsenal. The match played at Old Trafford was extremely lopsided with Manchester United winning 8-2. I do not see this game having nearly as many goals, but I do expect Manchester United to win. If I had to make a prediction, I would say Manchester United will win this game 3-1 with Van Persie scoring twice against his former club.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
