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Arsenal vs Manchester United: Casemiro suspended for Red Devils crunch trip to Emirates Stadium.
Manchester United have been given a major blow ahead of Sunday’s Premier League encounter with leaders Arsenal, as Casemiro has been suspended for the trip to the Emirates Stadium.
In Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, Casemiro, who cost United £60 million when he left Real Madrid, received his fifth yellow of the year for a nasty tackle on Wilfried Zaha.
At the moment, United had a 1-0 lead and appeared to be headed for its tenth straight victory across all competitions. Casemiro, however, scythed down Zaha with a full-blooded high tackle in an attempt to stop a Palace breakaway. It was maybe fortunate that he wasn’t given a harsher punishment for the foul.
The Brazilian immediately showed his frustration with teammate Bruno Fernandes, giving a knowing look to the United skipper after he had ducked out of a challenge a few seconds earlier that contributed to the ball breaking to an advancing Zaha.
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His presence in recent months has highlighted the vital importance of possessing a world-class defensive midfielder, but his yellow card and perhaps the realisation that he will miss the trip to Arsenal appeared to sufficiently stun United for Palace to finish stronger and snatch a point.
After leaving Real Madrid in the summer, only a few months after claiming his fifth Champions League trophy in a row, Casemiro struggled to obtain a starting spot under Erik ten Hag as he took his time to become familiar with the club’s technical setup.
When he started for United, they went on to become the best team in the country. His last Premier League game as a substitute was the 6-3 thrashing by Manchester City in October.
The only Premier League team to defeat Arsenal this year was United, who had done it already. It will now be more challenging to replicate that feat when playing the Gunners at home.