Gameday: United vs. Arsenal

The 411:
The first top-of-the-table clash for United starts tonight as Arsenal come knocking on our door, looking to keep their pole position at the top of the league. This match comes after we drew 1-1 with Valencia and topped Group C if the Champions League.

Chasing the Title:
A win here would put United in a great position in the league, especially after Chelsea's draw with Tottenham yesterday. We'd go top, two points clear of either Arsenal or City, depending on how many we win by. A draw wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would make the title race much tighter than it is at the moment. A loss however, would put Arsenal top by two points, and we don't want that happening now do we?

Where We Stand:
1|Arsenal|16P|16GD|32PTS
2|Man City|17P|11GD|32PTS
3|United|15P|19GD|31PTS
4|Chelsea|17P|19GD|31PTS
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5|Tottenham|17P|3GD|27PTS

Enemy Form:
Arsenal have been looking dangerously good recently and have a record of L-W-W-W-W coming into tonight's game. I don't like to talk about Arsenal in a good way, but I'd be lying if I said the game is gonna be a cake walk, cause it sure ain't. Much like Shakira's hips, the League Table doesn't lie, and whoever is at the top usually deserves it.

Granted, Arsenal's last four wins have come against Villa, Wigan, Fulham, and Partizan Belgrade, and although those teams aren't quite world-class, they will still have given Arsenal some form of morale boost before the crunch game against United. As long as United can play their game tonight while being careful towards Arsenal's quick attacks, it should be fine. Or in the words of Mystikal: Shake ya ass... but watch yoself!

Players to Look Out For:
I'm gonna jump on the bandwagon here and say that Samir Nasri will be a very important player for Arsenal tonight. With van Persie not quite hitting the heights pre-injury and Fabregas unlikely to play, Arsenal will turn to their emerging star to show them the way. Nasri is currently the team's top scorer and is proving that he is no transfer window flop.

Tonight will also be big for Wayne Rooney. I am backing him to score tonight. That's right, I just said it. Wayne Rooney will score at least a goal tonight. Why? It's cause he looks like like a kettle about to boil over, like a shaken up can of Coke. He's been getting closer and closer to returning to that legendary form from last year, and I think that tonight is the night. In front of almost 76,000 home fans against United's perennial rivals, the timing couldn't be better.

On the Home Front:
Ferdinand and Scholes should be able to play tonight, after questions were raised over their availability. Also, Wes Brown and Jevans should have sufficiently recovered from their illnesses to be able to take part, albeit most likely from the bench. Our long term trio of Hargreaves, Owen, and Valencia are still out and twiddling their thumbs, waiting for the day when they can get back on the field.


Also interesting to note that Evra has called Arsenal a "training center" instead of a soccer team and that must've fired up some people over in London. We better back up that claim tonight so the bragging rights can remain in Manchester.

TSR's Thoughts:
1) Berbatov needs to get some consistency in his game again. He can do that by playing well tonight, rather than straying too far forward like he did against Valencia.
2) Carrick or Fletcher? Carrick's been playing well lately, but Fletcher has been the go-to guy for us the whole season. It's quite a toss-up.
3) How will we work down the flanks? Giggs is back so that means he'll join Nani, Park, and Obertan for those two wide spots.

Bold Prediction:
Tight game tonight with one team edging out another. I'm not gonna call the score, but Rooney will grab a goal and Carrick will start the game.

Shoot to thrill.