Games don’t get much bigger than this. It’s Manchester United vs. Arsenal in Saturday’s early kick-off, with the added spice of Jose Mourinho vs. Arsene Wenger. Arsenal have started the season fairly well, but a result at Old Trafford is needed to show they are serious contenders. Mourinho must surely view this game as a must win to give his team even the smallest of chances of launching a title challenge. Below I look at three key battles that will decide the outcome of this match.
1 – Mesut Ozil vs. Maraoune Fellaini
I think we all know Fellaini is going to start this game and I strongly expect Mourinho to assign him the sole task of stopping Mesut Ozil. Mourinho knows only too well of Ozil’s ability and he will want Fellaini to try and nullify the serious threat that Ozil possesses. The German was given a rest in the international break and considering he’s in a purple patch at the moment, it will certainly be important for Manchester United to keep him quiet if they are to win the game. You can also spin this round, when Ozil has been man marked in big games he often struggles to be at his influential best. It is important for Arsenal that in these kind of games their World Class players come to the fore – it is time for Ozil to earn his money (rumoured £200,000 per week contract) and deliver the goods on Saturday afternoon.
