Manchester United v Arsenal: An English Classic

Manchester United v Arsenal

Old Trafford

This game will surely get football lovers licking their lips with delight. This will be the 100th meeting between both sides in all competitions at Old Trafford. Manchester United lead on the head-to-head encounters at OT with 57 wins (57.58%), Arsenal have recorded 17wins (17.17%) with 25 games ending in draws. This fixture could be regarded as the English equivalent of Spain’s El Classico. Long gone are the days of pre and post-match tunnel bust-ups, on-the-field tussles, soup and pizza throwing, it wasn’t so long ago Roy Keane and Patrick Viera were the main protagonists of this fixture. While Keane and Viera have long exited the stage, the rivalry between both sides goes on albeit not as fiery as in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Arsene Wenger and his Gunners topped the league table last week with United’s game at Blackpool postponed due to bad weather. Manchester United with a game in hand will be primed to reclaim first place with a home win. United’s last league game at Old Trafford saw the Red Devils maul Blackburn 7-1, three days later the euphoria of that massive win quickly evaporated when a second-stringed United side were thumped 4-0 in the League Cup by West Ham at Upton Park. With both sides safely through to the knock-out round of the UEFA Champions League, attention now turns to the Premier League. United remain the league’s only unbeaten side after 15 games and that record is under threat with the visit of Arsenal. The Gunners have found no joy at Old Trafford in recent years and you will have to go back to September 2006 when the Gunners recorded their last win over the Red Devils at Old Trafford. Emmanuel Adebayor netted the winner four minutes from time to seal a memorable win despite the Gunners squandering a first half penalty. With a trip to Stamford Bridge looming largely on the horizon, Sir Alex Ferguson and his team will want to dispatch of Arsenal as soon as possible. This game pits the team with the best home record, Manchester United, against Arsenal the team with the best record on the road.

While Arsenal survived a fright to beat Fulham 2-1 on Saturday, United had the weekend off after heavy snow led to their match at Blackpool to be postponed. Arsenal will be looking to consolidate top spot while United wanting to protect their excellent league run will be aiming for maximum points.

Men to Watch

Dimitar Berbatov on his day will be devastating for any given opposition defence as evident in his five-goal performance against Blackburn. His languid style is often misjudged by the opposition and this may yet be his greatest weapon while he unleashes terror. Never shy to shoot at goal and with breath-taking volleys, the Bulgarian is as much a goal creator as a goal scorer. I won’t rule Berbatov out of the goals should he have a good game Monday night.

Red hot at the moment.

Wayne Rooney showed in the 7-1 trashing of Blackburn that his hunger for goals remains to be satiated. Rooney is out to prove his loyalty to Manchester United and their fans that he is still committed to United’s cause and Rooney does have a good scoring record against Arsenal. I won’t be surprised should Rooney score his first goal from open play against Arsenal on Monday. A tricky customer anytime, the Arsenal defence has to be on their toes for the duration of the game with Wayne lurking about.

With Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit, Luis Nani has finally stepped out of the latter’s shadow and started turning his potential into good use. Nani’s blistering pace and trickery will be a worry for Arsenal but Nani seems to fade in and out of games, which is a major headache for SAF. Not afraid to take on defenders and with goals to his game, the Portuguese winger will definitely cause some havoc in the Arsenal defence.

Samir Nasri has been Arsenal’s player of the season so far, he has matched his good footwork with goals and assists. A testimony of Nasri’s importance to Arsenal was seen last week as he scored twice to give the Gunners victory over Fulham at the Emirates. Nasri grabbed a brace when Arsenal last beat United at the Emirates in a 2-1 in November 2008. With Cesc Fabregas struggling for fitness, Nasri will again be the one orchestrating the midfield and pulling the strings.

 A tricky customer anytime!

Lukas Fabianski will have to be at his best against United on Monday. After a shaky start to the season, the Pole has made a strong bid to be Arsenal’s first choice goalkeeper. I envisage a busy evening for the Arsenal goalie and his performance on Monday will go a long way to strengthen his claim to that number one shirt.

Marouane Chamakh’s free signing has so far been a bargain for Arsenal and the Moroccan has contributed in no small measures to Arsenal’s success thus far. Good in the air and shoots with both feet, Chamakh will be a handful for United’s defence stalwarts. If let unattended, Chamakh could make United pay dearly for their laxity.

My MOTW Prediction

With top spot for grabs, this encounter will be a feisty encounter. Given the importance of this fixture I won’t rule out a sending off in this match. United have continued to grind results at home this season and I think Arsenal won’t change that though as much as they will push United all the way. I look forward to seeing Arsenal playing their brand of entertaining football; a credit to Arsene Wenger’s ‘beautiful football’ philosophy but Old Trafford is the last place to stick with a game plan. What Arsenal lack in size and they compensate with skill and flair but will that be enough to overcome United? Manchester United are known to force visiting teams into discarding their game plan and Arsenal will be no different.

The bench could play a large part in this game and on that basis and United’s current league form I will give maximum points to the Red Devils.

Manchester United 3 –0 Arsenal