Manchester United face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday in what is the standout Premier League fixture of the weekend.
Aside from the long-term rivalry and famously fractious relationship between Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger, both teams are also in good form and well placed in the table right now.
The Red Devils come into this clash off of the back of a 4-2 win against surprise package Watford at Vicarage Road on Tuesday night, which saw them maintain second spot and continue to keep the pace with runaway leaders and arch-rivals Manchester City at the summit.
Meanwhile, Arsenal thrashed Huddersfield Town 5-0 at home on Wednesday to stay in the top four, in a result that means they have won all seven of their Premier League matches on their own turf this season, and 12 stretching back to last term.
Wenger will want to pick up an eight straight success on Saturday against United, whose manager will have plenty of things to consider ahead of the trip to north London.
Here are four key questions Mourinho must answer before facing Arsenal…
Would a draw be good enough?
Considering Arsenal have won all seven of their Premier League matches at the Emirates Stadium and Mourinho loves to play for a draw away from home against his top six rivals, a point would probably be a decent result for United on Saturday.
But would it be enough?
Man City’s last-gasp winner against Southampton on Wednesday ensured that they maintained their eight-point lead at the top of the table, and you would expect them to beat a struggling West Ham United at the Etihad on Sunday.
If they did that and the Red Devils took a point against Arsenal they would be 10 points behind Pep Guardiola’s men, and that would be a tough advantage to overcome in the future.
With a home match against City to come on December 10, Mourinho may decide that a win at the Emirates could give his side the chance to close the gap to just five points a week on Sunday as they look to compete for the title.
Which formation is best?
Mourinho favoured a 4-2-3-1 formation in the early stages of the campaign, but the Portuguese boss has certainly mixed things up a little in recent weeks.
He used a 3-4-1-2 system in the win against Watford on Tuesday night, the success against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford and the defeat at Chelsea last month, and he may decide that formation matches up best to the 3-4-2-1 system that Arsene Wenger is likely to deploy at the Emirates on Saturday.
Mourinho will have to decide which of those two formations is likely to give him the result he is craving in north London.
Romelu or Zlatan?
Lukaku may have scored 12 goals in 21 appearances in all competitions for Man United this season following his summer move from Everton, but there is certainly no guarantee that he will start at the Emirates on Saturday.
The Belgium international has come under criticism from the supporters in recent weeks after failing to make an impact and missing gilt-edged chances – like the one at Watford during the week – and he has netted just once in 12 outings since the start of October.
With Ibrahimovic back involved on the substitutes’ bench it may only be a matter of time before he gets his first start of the campaign, and he could replace his teammate who looks to be a little short of confidence right now.
If not Matic, who plays?
The Serbia international’s presence in the middle of the park this season has been one of the reasons United have only conceded eight goals in their 14 Premier League matches so far this season, but he could be a doubt for the trip to the Emirates this weekend.
The 29-year-old was replaced by Ander Herrera in the 54th minute of the 4-2 win against Watford in midweek after picking up a muscular injury, and he is a major doubt for the Arsenal game.
The fact that the Red Devils conceded two quick-fire goals when the midfielder went off will be a worry, and Mourinho must decide who will fill in this weekend.
With Marouane Fellaini potentially a doubt too with an unspecified problem, the Portuguese boss is left with Paul Pogba, Herrera and potentially even Michael Carrick, with the likes of Victor Lindelof and Daley Blind other options for the defensive midfield role.
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