Biggest game in england occurs on Sunday
Read carefully then make your choice!
GO UTD
Man Utd v Arsenal
Old Trafford
Sunday, 9 April
Kick-off: 1600 BST
1100 EST
BBC Radio Five Live
Trotters at 11 be there--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Manchester United defender Wes Brown returns after a groin injury, and should make the bench if not the starting line-up.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will again have to choose between Louis Saha and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Arsenal have included defender Sol Campbell in the squad, but the England centre-back may have to settle for a place on the bench.
The Gunners are expected to stick with the side that drew 0-0 with Juventus.
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Man Utd (from): Van de Sar, Howard, Neville, Pique, Ferdinand, Vidic, Brown, Silvestre, Evra, Ronaldo, Giggs, O'Shea, Fletcher, Park, Rooney, Saha, Van Nistelrooy, Rossi.
Arsenal (from): Lehmann, Almunia, Eboue, Toure, Senderos, Hleb, Flamini, Fabregas, Gilberto, Pires, Henry, Djourou, Song, Van Persie, Reyes, Diaby, Walcott, Ljungberg, Campbell, Bergkamp.
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Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb:
"Although the first half of the season was not so good, we have now found our rhythm and are playing well.
"Both the Champions League and Premier League are equal priorities for us.
"Since we lost so many points in the first half of the season, we need to try to catch the team above us. We have no more margin for error."
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BIG-MATCH FACTS
MANCHESTER UNITED against Arsenal is a contest between two Premiership thoroughbreds, who are both determined to be playing Champions League football next season. These clubs have claimed 11 of the 13 Premiership titles between them (eight for United, three for Arsenal), and there has not been a Premier League campaign when at least one of them has not finished in the top two. A draw would see Arsenal breaking the 1,000 Premiership points barrier, and joining Manchester United as the only other club to achieve such a milestone.
Sir Alex Ferguson's side are in red hot form and are once again launching a dramatic last ditch bid to snatch the title from Chelsea's grasp. United have won their last eight Premiership matches, and go into the weekend having narrowed the gap on the champions to seven with six to play. They've won 17 out of 22 top flight contests, including the last eight in a row at Old Trafford.
United are undefeated in seven League meetings with Arsenal. They've won three and drawn four since the Gunners' 0-1 triumph at Old Trafford on 8 May 2002. This season's reverse fixture was goalless. This is the 31st meeting of these clubs since Arsene Wenger has been in charge of the Gunners. Of the 30 previous encounters, Sir Alex's United have won 10, Arsenal 11 with nine drawn. Of those nine draws, United won the 2003 Community Shield on penalties, and Arsenal last season's FA Cup final on penalties.
ARSENAL are on cloud nine as they journey to Old Trafford for their 50th match of the season, in search a fifth successive Premiership victory in just over a month, having clinched a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in their history, The goalless draw in Turin against Juventus on Wednesday, earned the Gunners a tie in the last four against Villarreal. The first leg will be at Highbury on Wednesday, 19 April and the return on Tuesday, 25 April.
Those two Champions League fixtures will be separated by the home League clash against fourth placed Tottenham, whom Arsene Wenger's young outfit trail by one place and two points with a game in hand going into the weekend. The Gunners can qualify for Europe's premier club competition next season and deprive Spurs of entry, either by winning it this time around, or by climbing into a top four Premiership berth. They've kept clean sheets in seven of the last nine in all competitions, including the last four, but have failed to score in six of the last nine away top flight encounters.
The Gunners are looking for a third win in 15 top tier visits to Old Trafford. Their last League visit saw the record breaking 49-match unbeaten Premiership run broken in controversial circumstances. After a tight 72 minutes Wayne Rooney tripped over Sol Campbell's leg and Ruud van Nistelrooy scored the resulting penalty. Arsenal complained in vain and were finished off in injury time when Rooney, celebrating his 19th birthday, scored after a sharp counter-attack.
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REFEREE:
Graham Poll (Tring)
Graham Poll is a late replacement for Phil Dowd.
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SEQUENCES/RECENT FORM
MANCHESTER UNITEDClub stats
Fixtures
Going into the weekend: 2nd 72 points
(all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premiership fixtures)
Not registered in excess of eight successive wins in a single Premiership season, since ending the 1999/2000 campaign with 11 victories. They were also triumphant in the first match of 2000/01 to make it a 12-match winning sequence.
Won 13 of 15 League and Cup engagements, including the last seven.
Lost one of 10 in all competitions.
Won the last eight in the Premiership against Fulham (h), Portsmouth (a), Wigan (a), Newcastle (h), West Brom (a), Birmingham (h), West Ham (h) and Bolton (a).
Won 17 of 22 top flight contests.
Scored in each of the last 11 League matches.
The goalless draw at Arsenal on 3 January is the only occasion in 27 top flight matches in which they've failed to score, since the clubs' only other Premiership goalless draw at Liverpool on 18 September.
Blackburn (twice), Middlesbrough and Manchester City are the only clubs to have beaten United in the League this season.
Only Chelsea have lost fewer Premiership matches than United's four (three).
Boast the strongest attack in the highest League - 64 goals in 32 outings - two per game.
Their 32 League games have yielded 94 goals (64 for, 30 against), at 2.94 goals per game.
Completed 13 matches in the highest echelon since a score draw (2-2 at Birmingham on 28 December).
Opened the scoring in 21 Premiership matches. Only Chelsea (24) and Liverpool (22) top that.
Failed to score in two top League confrontations this term - fewer than any other club.
The Premiership's strongest first half club.
Won the last 10 in all competitions at Old Trafford.
Won 15 and drawn four of the last 19 League and Cup matches on home territory.
Undefeated in 12 home Premiership encounters.
Won 10 and drawn two Premier League contests at the Theatre of Dreams since Blackburn's 1-2 victory on 24 September.
Scored in every home League game this season.
Kept clean sheets in eight of the last 11 League fixtures in front of the home fans.
ARSENALClub stats
Fixtures
Going into the weekend: 5th 53 points
(all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premiership fixtures)
Won six, drawn two and lost one of the last nine in all competitions.
Won the last four Premiership fixtures against Fulham (0-4 a), Liverpool (2-1 h), Charlton (3-0 h) and Aston Villa (5-0 h).
Last registered in excess of four consecutive Premier League victories when opening last season with five wins. They also ended the previous campaign with two victories, making it a seven-match winning streak.
On the longest run in the top flight of 15 games since a loss by more than a single goal (0-2 against Chelsea on 18 December).
Completed eight top tier encounters since conceding more than a single goal in a game (2-3 home defeat by West Ham on 1 February).
Not let in more than a single goal in any of the last 12 in all competitions, and kept clean sheets in six of them.
The current tally of 53 points is Arsenal's lowest points after 31 matches of a Premiership campaign, since 51 points were accrued to this identical stage in 1995/96, when they went on to finish fifth.
Won 15 of the 16 highest League matches, in which they've scored the opening goal.
Scored more goals in the closing stages of Premiership games than any other club - 14 in the last quarter-hour, of which 13 were in the last 10 minutes, seven of those in the final five minutes.
Won all 11 matches in which leading at half time.
Awarded more penalties in Premiership matches this season than any other club, with the exception of Liverpool. Both have had six penalties, but while Arsenal have converted three, the Merseysiders have knocked in four.
Lost more than eight away League games when the Premiership was played over 42 games. They returned without a point from nine matches on their travels in 1992/93, and from 11 matches in 1994/95.
Taken maximum points off only Wigan, Charlton, Birmingham and Fulham on their Premiership travels.
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KEY PLAYER NOTES/POTENTIAL MILESTONES
MANCHESTER UNITED
Squad profiles
Ruud VAN NISTELROOY trails Thierry HENRY as the Premiership's leading scorer. The Arsenal striker has netted 27 League and Cup goals for his club, the Dutchman 24 for United. The United striker is tied with HENRY on 21 goals in the race for the Barclays Golden Boot.
VAN NISTELROOY and Wayne ROONEY have between them scored 34 of Manchester United's 64 League goals.
VAN NISTELROOY has scored only two Premiership goals against Arsenal.
ARSENAL
Squad profiles
Thierry HENRY is now the highest scoring Premiership player with 27 goals - three ahead of Ruud VAN NISTELROOY. The Dutchman is now tied with HENRY in the race for the Barclays Golden Boot with 21 goals each.
HENRY is in third place in the Premier League's all time scorers list with 158, trailing Alan SHEARER 257 and Andrew COLE 185.
The Frenchman has scored 27 goals in 35 League and Cup appearances this season.
HENRY has scored seven Premiership goals against the Red Devils.
When next he lines up for the opening whistle of a League game, Ashley COLE will be making his 150th Premiership start for the North London outfit.
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LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME:
Manchester United 2-0 Arsenal
24 October 2004 - Ref: Mike Riley
Man United scorers: van Nistelrooy 73 pen, Rooney 90
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THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE:
Arsenal 0-0 Manchester United
2 January 2006 - Ref: Graham Poll
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HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS
League: Man Utd 70 wins, Arsenal 63, Draws 40
Prem: Man Utd 11 wins, Arsenal 7, Draws 8
HEAD TO HEAD at Man U
League: Man Utd 48 wins, Arsenal 14, Draws 24
Prem: Man Utd 7 wins, Arsenal 2, Draws 4
Poll