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Premier League | Gameweek 7
Sep 30, 2019 at 8pm UK
 
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Combined XI: Manchester United vs. Arsenal

Ahead of Monday's Premier League showdown between Manchester United and Arsenal, Sports Mole selects its strongest combined XI from the two squads.

Manchester United are looking to protect an unbeaten Premier League record against Arsenal at home stretching back to 2006 when the two familiar foes meet again on Monday night.

Both sides won in the EFL Cup in midweek in contrasting fashion, Arsenal cruising past Nottingham Forest 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday before United laboured to a win on penalties after Rochdale held them to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford the following night.

A litany of legendary names have met in this fixture over the years, from Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira's bruising midfield battles to Wayne Rooney and Thierry Henry's spectacular goals and tormenting of defences.

Unai Emery and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might well wish they could borrow from one another's squads over the course of the week, with rapid-fire fixtures in the Europa League and Premier League following this match.

Here, Sports Mole has selected its strongest combined XI from the two squads, using only players available on Monday.



Combined XI: MNU vs. ARS

Despite their unconvincing form, United come into this game having conceded just six goals to Arsenal's 10, so Spain's David de Gea earns the nod over Germany's Bernd Leno in a meeting of two high-quality goalkeepers.

At the back, Arsenal's much-maligned defence can only contribute new £25m full-back Kieran Tierney, who is likely to make his Premier League debut at United following his move from Celtic.

The rest of the back four picks itself, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire offering the kind of sure-footed quality United typically lack elsewhere around the pitch.

The balance is different further up the pitch, where Dani Ceballos has been a creative revelation for entertaining Arsenal during the early stages of his loan spell from Real Madrid.

Nicolas Pepe's price tag is perhaps weighing heavily on him during his first months at the club - the Ivory Coast winger became Arsenal's record signing and the third-most expensive Premier League buy of all time when he joined for £73m in the summer.

The 24-year-old will be hoping his penalty in the nervy 3-2 win at home to Aston Villa will be the first of many for his new club.

Fellow winger Daniel James has looked a steal by comparison, scoring three times in his first six matches following a move for around £15m from Swansea City.

The 21-year-old has looked entirely unfazed by Premier League and European defences, firing in a spectacular early opener in the 1-1 draw at Southampton.

The athletic, mercurial Paul Pogba is charged with patrolling behind our three attacking midfield choices, fresh from returning for a forgettable comeback against Rochdale in midweek.

In the absence of Arsenal's Alexandre Lacazette and United's Marcus Rashford, 17-year-old striker Mason Greenwood earns the nod in attack, having scored his first two senior goals this season.

Greenwood's imagined strike partner, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, is one of the first names on this combined teamsheet, looking a strong contender to finish at the top of the Premier League scoring charts during a scintillating start to the season.

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Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane in 2004
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All-time PL combined XI: Man Utd vs. Arsenal
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


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