Cristiano Ronaldo scores against Arsenal.
Should Cristiano Ronaldo score against Arsenal on Saturday then he would join the Premier League's illustrious '100 goal club.'
Since his unexpected return to Manchester United last summer, Ronaldo has added a further 15 goals to his Premier League tally with the last six coming in the form of hat-tricks vs Tottenham and Norwich City. The other 84 strikes came in the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's first stint at Old Trafford between 2003 and 2009 before he left to enjoy remarkable success at Real Madrid.
Now Ronaldo has the opportunity to become just the 33rd player in the Premier League's history to make it to the milestone of 100 goals when United travel to the Emirates for Saturday's early kick-off. A match-up with massive stakes.
Despite all their failings over the season, United still have a chance of finishing in the top four and scraping into the Champions League. However, defeat to the Gunners or maybe even a draw would likely be the final blow in their hopes of doing so.
Ralf Rangnick's side currently sit in sixth place, three points behind both Arsenal and Tottenham, so a victory would see them pull level on points with the North London duo but a defeat would see them slip to six points off fourth spot. With just four games remaining afterwards, including against Chelsea on Thursday, that gap may prove to be insurmountable.
Which is all the more reason that United need Ronaldo, as well as his underperforming teammates, to deliver a big performance in the capital. Ronaldo's chances of joining the likes of former teammate Wayne Rooney, Sergio Aguero and Thierry Henry in the '100 goal club' are boosted by the fact that he has a great record against Arsenal, with eight goals in 16 games including two in the reverse fixture this season.
Rangnick has confirmed that the Portuguese is back in the squad for the match after he was unavailable for the defeat to Liverpool due to compassionate leave after the tragic death of his baby son.
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