Manchester United will be bidding to make it four Premier League victories in a row when they welcome Arsenal to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Devils lost their opening two matches of the 2022-23 campaign to Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford but have won their last three against Liverpool, Southampton and Leicester City.
The 20-time English champions will now host Arsenal, who are flying high at the top of the table, having won each of their five league games during a brilliant start to the season.
Man United boss Erik ten Hag has been reluctant to change a winning team in recent weeks, but the Dutchman has some big decisions in terms of team selection for the clash with Mikel Arteta's side.
Here, Sports Mole identifies three major calls that the Dutchman needs to make.
Casemiro's involvement - time for a start?
© Reuters
Casemiro is yet to start for the Red Devils since his arrival from Real Madrid, instead featuring off the bench in the 1-0 wins over Southampton and Leicester.
The Brazil international played the final 10 minutes against the Saints before turning out for the last 31 minutes of the victory over Leicester last time out; in both fixtures, the experienced midfielder has played a key role in closing out the wins.
Scott McTominay has been outstanding in Man United's last two matches, but Casemiro's experience and quality will certainly be needed against a strong Arsenal side.
It is not impossible to imagine both Casemiro and McTominay starting, with Christian Eriksen or one of the forward players potentially dropping out, but it would be a big call from Ten Hag if the summer arrival was again among the substitutes for the first whistle.
Cristiano Ronaldo pushing for start after impressive cameo at Leicester
© Reuters
The transfer window has now officially closed, and Cristiano Ronaldo is staying at Man United, at least until January, when the rumours could reignite.
The 37-year-old has only started once in the Premier League this season, but he only had one game during pre-season, and Ten Hag has been keen to stress that the forward's fitness is improving with each game.
Ronaldo has appeared off the bench in the last three games with Liverpool, Southampton and Leicester, and he was particularly impressive against Brendan Rodgers's side on Thursday night.
Anthony Martial is again out on Sunday with an Achilles problem, so Ten Hag must decide whether to keep with a front three of Anthony Elanga, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, or bring in Ronaldo.
Up against two strong centre-backs in the shape of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, the Red Devils might need experience rather than the pace and energy of Rashford, and it will be fascinating to see what Ten Hag decides, with the team news set to be released around 3.30pm on Sunday.
Antony could make the squad against the Gunners
© Reuters
Man United boss Ten Hag said that he would decide on Saturday whether new signing Antony would be in the squad for the clash with Arsenal.
The 22-year-old trained alongside his teammates for the first time on Friday, and there is every chance that he will be named in the squad on Sunday with a view to a potential debut.
"Today (Thursday), he did his first training, individual[ly]. Tomorrow, we have a team session and Saturday we have a team session, so I will think about it and then we will take a decision," Ten Hag told reporters following the one-goal success at Leicester.
The Brazilian's last outing for Ajax came against FC Groningen on August 14, missing the team's last league games against Sparta Rotterdam and FC Utrecht amid the speculation surrounding his future, so it would be a huge surprise if he was named in the starting side for this game.
However, the right-sided attacker could be a brilliant option off the bench, and it will surely not be too long before he becomes a constant in the club's first XI.
