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Olivier Giroud

MANCHESTER. — It wasn’t so long ago that Arsenal vs Manchester United was one of the marquee matches in the English Premier League soccer season, a fixture that went a long way to deciding which team won the title. Now, it pits two sides struggling to even get in the top four. Arsenal are sixth and 20-time English champions United are seventh heading into tomorrow’s game at Emirates Stadium, with both clubs having had a tough start to the season mainly because of injury problems and suspect defending.

They have already been cut adrift by Chelsea, who are the unbeaten leaders after 11 games and showing the kind of form that is making pundits wonder whether they can go through the season without losing.

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is counting the cost of the recent batch of international games, with goalkeeper David de Gea (dislocated finger), defender Luke Shaw (unspecified) and midfielders Angel Di Maria (ankle), Daley Blind (knee) and Michael Carrick (groin) joining an already-lengthy injury list at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal has been unfortunate with injuries since taking over in the off-season, with his defence regularly short of its best players and Colombia striker Radamel Falcao starting just three times following his expensive loan move from Monaco. United said yesterday that 12 members of their squad are carrying injuries.

Van Gaal’s side haven’t won any of their five away matches in the Premier League this season.

Danny Welbeck will look to show United was wrong to sell him on transfer deadline day this summer when he lines up for Arsenal against his old club for the first time. The England striker has scored five goals in 12 games for Arsenal since leaving his boyhood team, where he rarely got a start or was played out of position on the left wing.

“Personally I have been surprised by his technical capacity, the way he understands the game, his work rate,” Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta said. “I rate him more now than I used to and this is a good sign because normally the opposite is true when you watch a player on a daily basis.”

While Welbeck and fellow summer signing Alexis Sanchez, who has scored six goals in his last four league starts, have been the positives for Arsenal this season, the defence remains a worry for manager Arsene Wenger.

Arsenal have thrown away a lead in their last two matches, drawing 3-3 against Anderlecht in the Champions League after being 3-0 ahead and conceding two late goals to lose 2-1 at Swansea in the Premier League. Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud is available for this weekend’s Premier League meeting with Manchester United.

The France international (28) had been ruled out until the new year with a broken leg suffered against Everton in August, but has returned sooner than expected. — AFP.