Barclays Premier League
Venue: Emirates Stadium Date: Sunday, 31 January 2010 Kick-off: 1600 GMT
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 Live, local radio, live on Sky Sports 1 & highlights on Match of the Day 2
TEAM NEWS
**Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner could make his first start for three months against Manchester United as Eduardo is sidelined with a torn hamstring.**Sol Campbell is on standby to replace Thomas Vermaelen, while Alex Song and Emmanuel Eboue are both available.
United’s Rio Ferdinand starts a four-match ban, having failed in his appeal against a violent conduct charge for his clash with Hull’s Craig Fagan.
Nemanja Vidic is expected to replace Ferdinand after recovering from injury.
Arsenal
Suspended: None Doubtful: Vermaelen (leg)
Injured: Diaby (calf), Djourou (knee), Eduardo (hamstring), Gibbs (foot), Merida & Van Persie (both ankle)
Manchester United
Suspended: Ferdinand (four matches) Doubtful: None
Injured: Hargreaves (knee), O’Shea (thigh)
MATCH PREVIEW
Chelsea will keep; the animosity between Arsenal and Manchester United may have cooled in recent seasons, but the competitive fire still burns for the Premier League’s oldest adversaries.
“We know if we play at our best we can beat Manchester United - we can beat everybody. Let’s focus on our strengths and show that we have made a big improvement compared to last year”
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger
Arsenal’s defeat at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture caused an infuriated Arsene Wenger to reopen hostilities by accusing United of “anti-football” against his side, in the form of systematic fouling.
Wenger also brought farce to the Theatre of Dreams in August when he was sent to the stands in the dying seconds for kicking a water bottle, only to become stranded on a roof between baying United supporters. It is safe to assume he would prefer a different kind of lofty position at the end of this match.
Both Arsenal and United have briefly led the Premier League in the last fortnight, with the Gunners coming back from an 11-point deficit while the champions have relied on Wayne Rooney as a one-man wrecking ball.
United have already silenced their noisy Manchester neighbours in the last few days and if they end Arsenal’s 10-match unbeaten run then Wenger could be hitting the bottle again. Just don’t expect Sir Alex Ferguson to share a glass of something red or white with him.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• This will be the 42nd time Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have faced each other. Ferguson has won 16 times to Wenger’s 14, with 11 draws (two of which were then settled by penalties).
• Manchester United are unbeaten in their last four matches against Arsenal in all competitions, winning three. But they have not won in their last four league visits to Arsenal, including all three matches at the Emirates Stadium. Their only away victory in the last nine was 4-2 at Highbury in February 2005.
• United did, though, beat Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates in their Champions League semi-final meeting in May.
606: DEBATE
Have your say on this match
Arsenal
• The Gunners are the division’s form team, earning 24 points from 10 unbeaten league games since a 3-0 home defeat to Chelsea in November.
• They are the Premier League’s leading scorers with 59 goals in 23 matches. The midweek goalless draw at Villa was their first of the season.
• Arsene Wenger needs one win to register 300 as a Premier League manager. He will become the second manager to reach this milestone after Sir Alex Ferguson (438). Wenger has only lost 80 of his 509 league matches in charge of Arsenal.
• Cesc Fabregas has scored five goals in his last five league matches.
Manchester United
• United have taken 13 points from their last five games, with Wayne Rooney scoring seven goals in those matches.
• They have not won any of their last six away league matches at Big Four opposition, losing five times.
• Dimitar Berbatov celebrated his 29th birthday the day before this match. Darren Fletcher turns 26 on Monday.
• Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes have each scored 99 Premier League goals. Only 17 players have scored 100 goals or more in Premier League history.
LEADING GOALSCORERS
Arsenal
Fabregas: 14 goals (11 league);
Arshavin & van Persie: 8 goals (7 league)
Manchester United
Rooney: 21 goals (19 league); Berbatov: 7 goals (7 league);
Owen: 7 goals (2 league)
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Chris Foy
Assistant referees: Dave Bryan & Bob Pollock
Fourth official: Mark Clattenburg
LAST LEAGUE MATCH LINE-UPS
Arsenal (D0-0 v Aston Villa, a): Almunia; Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen (Campbell 35), Clichy, Denilson, Fabregas, Ramsey, Rosicky (Nasri 79), Eduardo (Bendtner 62), Arshavin. Subs not used: Fabianski, Walcott, Traore, Eastmond.
**Manchester United **(W4-0 v Hull, h): Van der Sar; Rafael, Ferdinand, J Evans, Evra (Fabio 88), Park, Fletcher, Scholes (Gibson 72), Nani, Rooney, Owen (Berbatov 72). Subs not used: Kuszczak, Brown, Valencia, Carrick.
MOST RECENT MEETING
Man Utd 2-1 Arsenal (29 August 2009)
Manchester United scorers: Rooney 59 pen, Diaby 64 og.
Arsenal scorer: Arshavin 40.