VIGO, Spain -- Jose Mourinho will stick with his plan to make wholesale changes to his Manchester United team for Sunday's Premier League clash with Arsenal but insists his players will still "fight" for a positive result at the Emirates.
With United due to face Celta Vigo at Old Trafford on Thursday in their Europa League semifinal second-leg, having emerged from Spain with a 1-0 first-leg win, Mourinho is planning to rest key players at Arsenal in order to keep them fresh for the return fixture against Celta.
Players including Marcus Rashford, Eric Bailly, Daley Blind and Paul Pogba are expected to be rested at the weekend, with Mourinho turning to Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Juan Mata, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones against Arsene Wenger's team.
But despite United going into the game just one point adrift of the top four in the race for Champions League qualification, Mourinho insists he must now prioritise the Europa League.
"We are going to try [to win on Sunday]. We are going to try," Mourinho said. "We are not going to Arsenal to say 'beat us,' or 'beat us 5-[0] or 6-0,' we are going there to fight for a result, but it's impossible [to field a full-strength team]. I cannot do it in another way.
"If Celta was playing with their best team, if Celta was fighting for important things in La Liga, we would go in the same circumstances, but I cannot now play with the same team that played in Vigo, and then repeat again next Thursday.
"So, we have to be human with the players, we have to be sensible and common sense in relation to our situation in the Premier League.
"I think the last match against Swansea [a 1-1 draw] was our last chance to fight for top four, so I am going to rest players, sure."
Mourinho has confirmed, however, that first-choice goalkeeper David De Gea will play against Arsenal, with understudy Sergio Romero having played against Celta Vigo in Spain.
"I don't like to say this competition is for that goalkeeper, this competition for another one," Mourinho said. "I don't like that complete separation.
"But Sunday, we play David. We have two fantastic goalkeepers. We have a third goalkeeper (Joel Pereira) who I think will be the best Portuguese goalkeeper of the next generation, so anyone in goal I trust completely."