Old foes meet in stateside friendly

Arsenal and Manchester United face off on Saturday evening with a friendly in the United States. The contest pits two of the most historic clubs in England against one another in front of a boisterous American audience.

Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium will host the encounter that is expected to have an attendance of roughly 50,000. Tickets remain available for the friendly fixture on Vivid Seats. Those as well as being able to watch it from home on ESPN+ from 08:00 PM ET.

How has preseason gone so far?

Arsenal has only played one preseason fixture thus far, drawing with Bournemouth 1-1 before beating them 5-4 on penalties. As expected, the North London side rotated their lineup heavily and gave youngsters like Karl Hein, Ayden Heaven, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Salah Oulad M’Hand and Ethan Nwaneri a place in the starting squad.

However, minutes were provided to the Gunners’ key players, including Ben White, Jurrien Timber, Thomas Partey, Fabio Vieira, Martin Ødegaard and others.

Wholesale changes were made throughout the game as expected. The doubters of the Spanish boss will have to reserve their judgment ahead of the 2024/25 season until a little later.

The fanbase of both clubs can be quick to react to matches that have little meaning. Social media platforms will likely play host to fans of both clubs abusing one another despite the little importance the fixture has to offer.

Manchester United are a little further in their preparation for the season ahead. Erik ten Hag’s side have played two friendlies so far, losing 1-0 to Rosenborg before defeating Rangers 2-0.

Rotation key for both sides early

Similar to their opponents, the FA Cup champions have rotated heavily in the two fixtures. First-team regulars tend to play the first half before managers substitute them off at halftime for younger members of the squad. This will be particularly noticeable with so many absentees in both squads after international tournaments.

Toby Collyer…

Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/arsenal-v-manchester-united-preview/

Author : Ryan Brennan

Publish date : 2024-07-26 14:24:25

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