BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton has dropped his scoreline prediction for the upcoming FA Cup showdown between Manchester United and Arsenal at the Emirates.
Manchester United lifted the FA Cup trophy under Erik ten Hag with a stunning 2-1 win over crosstown rivals Manchester City in the final at Wembley last May.
Erik ten Hag had fallen short of the FA Cup trophy in his debut season in England, with City beating United 2-1 in the final at Wembley in 2023.
The former Ajax boss’ FA Cup triumph was the first time that the Premier League club lifted the trophy since Louis van Gaal won it back in 2016.
The Red Devils begin their FA Cup title defence without Ten Hag, who was axed as United manager in last October and replaced by Ruben Amorim.
United will travel to the Emirates on Sunday for their FA Cup tie against Premier League rivals Arsenal, with kick-off slated for 3pm UK time.
Sutton on failed Man Utd prediction
Manchester United have been winless under Ruben Amorim since their 2-1 Premier League comeback win over Manchester City at the Etihad in December 2024.
The Red Devils lost three consecutive Premier League matches — and four across all competitions — ahead of their 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
United were seen as the clear underdogs against the Premier League leaders and Amorim’s men bounced back with a superb showing against Liverpool.
Chris Sutton predicted that Liverpool would thrash United 5-0 and the BBC Sport pundit admitted that he took a lot of “flak” for how badly his prediction played out.
Speaking in his BBC Sport column, he said: “Well, Manchester United have cracked it now haven’t they, after that draw at Anfield?
“Some of the flak I have had on social media for predicting that Liverpool would win 5-0 was extraordinary.
“It seems like the bunting was out because I got a score prediction wrong, although oddly I did not hear from anyone predicting a 2-2 draw before the game.”
Sutton’s Arsenal vs Man Utd prediction
Arsenal were held to a 1-1 Premier League draw against Brighton at the Amex on the weekend before the Gunners suffered a defeat to Newcastle on Tuesday.
Newcastle took control of the Carabao Cup semi-finals after securing a 2-0 win at the Emirates in their first-leg tie in the competition.
Sutton insisted that Arsenal are “massively missing” Gunners star Bukayo Saka, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury.
However, the ex-Blackburn Rovers and Celtic striker claimed that he does not “trust” United to secure a result in the FA Cup tie and has backed a 1-0 win for Arsenal.
“I suppose it shows how far Manchester United have fallen that they are celebrating draws,” Sutton continued.
“I remember a time when any dropped points by them was treated as a disaster.
“They did play well, and there was a lot of excitement about their performance, but quite rightly a lot of people pointed out that now they need to back it up.
“This is a very difficult tie for them to do that. Arsenal have had a bad week and are massively missing Bukayo Saka in the final third, but I don’t trust United to get a result at Emirates Stadium yet.”
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/LrgGlmX