Jermaine Jenas made his prediction for Manchester United vs Arsenal
Jermaine Jenas made his prediction for Manchester United vs Arsenal
Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jermaine Jenas has warned Arsenal that the Manchester United trio of Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, and Bryan Mbeumo could pose a threat on the counter-attack. The two Premier League giants are set to lock horns at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, January 25.
Despite recently being held to a stalemate by Nottingham Forest last weekend, Arsenal remain at the top of the standings with 50 points from 22 games. They are unbeaten in their last 12 fixtures across all competitions and hold a healthy four-point lead over Manchester City, with a game in hand.
On the other hand, Manchester United looked impressive under interim manager Michael Carrick as they defeated the Cityzens 2-0 last weekend. The Red Devils looked defensively organized and threatened on the counter-attack, with Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu featuring on the scoresheet.
Jenas believes Manchester United could follow a similar blueprint and cause an upset against Mikel Arteta and Co., as he told the Wildcards Podcast (via METRO):
"Watching that game against Man City, the first thing I saw was well-drilled, organisation and partnerships were developing. Up top with Mbeumo and Fernandes, they were linking up loads, obviously got that assist for Mbeumo for the first goal of the game."
"Defensively, the Martinez and Maguire situation looks solid as well. Casemiro in the midfield with Kobbie Mainoo – all of a sudden, there were some partnerships that you looked at and said, ‘Oh, they could be tough to play against’."
He added:
"And I think against Arsenal, whenever I watch Arsenal, I don’t feel like they break teams down easily. Obviously, they have the set-pieces which helps and Gabriel Jesus might help that situation, but you can’t help but look at it and see United playing counterattacking football. And if they do, Mbeumo and Fernandes are great options because of the style of play and the way this game is going to play out."
Jenas then named Diallo, Fernandes, and Mbeumo as three players who could cause problems, advising the Gunners to prepare for counter-attacks:
"If Arsenal don’t sort out the counterattack situation very well, they could get caught out. And I think those players, whether it’s Amad Diallo, Fernandes or Mbeumo, I think they will cause problems."
Mbeumo has impressed for the Red Devils since joining the club over the summer, registering eight goals and one assist in 18 appearances across all competitions.
"I think there is only one winner" - Paul Merson names the one condition that would enable Arsenal to defeat Manchester United
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson reckons Manchester United need to stay in the game for as long as possible and take advantage of the pressure on Arsenal to get a result. He also believes the Gunners would be firm favorites to secure all three points if the fixture turns into an end-to-end contest.
From the aforementioned source, Merson said:
"United have got to stay in the game as long as they can. I think the longer it goes, it goes to 20 minutes, 30, 40, half-time and into the second half, you know Arsenal will start panicking because they are only going to be four points above Man City probably by the time that game kicks off."
He added:
"We expect Man City to win [against Wolves on Saturday] so the pressure will be on Arsenal. So they just have to stay in the game. I don’t think they want to get into an end-to-end football match, but if they do, I think there is only one winner and that will be Arsenal."
The Gunners secured a nervy 1-0 win over Manchester United in the reverse fixture earlier this season at Old Trafford (August 17, 2025). Riccardo Calafiori's 13th-minute goal was enough to secure all three points.