Arsenal vs Manchester United score predicted as FA Cup defence begins

Manchester United will begin their FA Cup defence later today with a tough trip to Arsenal in the third round of the competition.

Goals from Lisandro Martinez and Amad Diallo secured a 2-2 draw for United against Liverpool in their last outing, with Ruben Amorim's side putting in one of their better performances since the Portuguese manager took over in November. As good as United were, they still failed to pick up three points though, extending their winless run to five games across all competitions.

Next up for United is their first FA Cup clash of the season, with Amorim's side being handed a difficult task as they travel to the capital to take on Arsenal. United haven't won at the Emirates Stadium since 2019, with the Gunners handing them a 2-0 loss in their league meeting earlier this season.

So, could Amorim get off to a winning start in the FA Cup this weekend? Let's take a look...

To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 25 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.

We predict that Arsenal could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Odegaard, Merino; Martinelli, Havertz, Trossard.

We predict that United could set up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Bayindir; Yoro, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot; Amad, Fernandes; Hojlund.

Like the clash with Newcastle midweek, Arsenal were slow out the gates at the Emirates, and 11 minutes in, United took the lead when Amad's shot was saved into the path of Rasmus Hojlund for a simple tap-in. The early strike was the only memorable moment of an uneventful first half, but not long after the restart, United doubled their lead to shock the