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Advantage Arsenal - Nicholas

Team Pages:ArsenalManchester United

ARSENAL v MANCHESTER UTD

Barclays Premiership Tuesday, February 1 Live on Sky Sports 1, 7pm (KO 8pm)

I don't think either side should admit it in public, but is hard not to label this game as anything other than battle for second place.

But that is not to say either Arsenal or Manchester United will be happy with a draw - they will both be going for the win, make no mistake about that, in what promises to be another huge meeting between these two. 

And it is not only about all that has gone on between these two sides. The matter of second place in the Premiership will become an issue in the closing weeks of the season because although it might not sound much, both of these sides will want to avoid having to qualify for the Champions League.

Which is why I don't think either side will be happy with a point.

A draw, plus a win for Chelsea at Blackburn on Wednesday, could leave us with a situation where the Premiership title is done and dusted - so Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger will want the three points to at least keep what pressure on they can.

But I still expect to see United coming to Highbury with the one man up front, probably Louis Saha. It has been a formation that has worked well for them this season and Sir Alex has seen just how well Wayne Rooney can play in a deeper, or even wider role.

You obviously want Rooney as far up the field as possible, but I wouldn't be surprised if Saha takes the lone role and Rooney and Ryan Giggs, who of course always seems to do very well at Highbury, are the ones to get forward and support him.

The fascinating thing about United, is that even without Ruud van Nistelrooy and Alan Smith, they do have the ability to change things around. We all know how Arsenal are going to play and line-up, but United have more options - and they can switch their forwards in particular, during the game far more than the Gunners can.

Which is why I expect United to be a little more cautious at first, and try and sneak their way into the game rather than coming flying out of the blocks.Paul Scholes and Roy Keane will be back to go up against Patrick Vieira and Mathieu Flamini or Cesc Fabregas, and they will expect Arsenal to come out and try and slip straight into their short, slick passing game.

United will be happy to contain them and may sit a little deeper than usual, hitting Saha on the counter, hoping he can hold the ball up and get the others forward in support.

They will also be pleased to see Kolo Toure suspended, but I am going to stand up for Pascal Cygan, who will line up alongside Sol Campbell. Cygan is always perceived as the weak link by the eternally high standards Arsenal defenders have set over the years, but that is going to happen with any player who doesn't get a run of a couple months in the side - just ask Manuel Almunia!

I don't have any great worries surrounding Cygan, just as Thierry Henry's five-game 'drought' is not an issue either. 

It wouldn't surprise me if he ended that run tonight, because I do expect their to be goals. I know much has been made of United's improved defence, and Arsenal are decent enough on their own path and both sides have some world-class defenders, but I just think the situation where both sides need a win will mean a few goals could be on the cards.

And forget the sides being told to calm down, this will be as keenly-contested as any Arsenal-United game. It might be calmer than usual for the first 20 minutes and I think Graham Poll (who I have no problem with, unlike many pundits and people in the game), will try to let as much go as possible.

But after that, the players will soon realise they have to go for the win they need - and then the tackles will be flying in as usual!

PREDICTION

Home win - I just fancy Arsenal to nick it. They might not have been playing with their old fluency, but if they can get their passing going from the word go, I think they can really get at Manchester United. I can't see there being any more than one goal between them, but I do think we could get plenty of goalmouth incident and wouldn't be at all surprised if it ended up 3-2.

Does Nicholas know? Arsenal to win 3-2 is 25/1 with Sky Bet. Click here for full odds

CHARLIE'S KEY CLASH

Freddie Ljungberg v Gabriel Heinze - There are fascinating battles all over the park, not least Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane, but the one for me will take place out wide. You can expect Thierry Henry, Jose Reyes and Dennis Bergkamp to be very tightly marked, so this game could be won by off-the-ball runners - and there are few better than Ljungberg. His link-up play may not be the best and he isn't involved as much as he might be, but the way he times his runs makes him a huge threat. In Heinze, United have a ruthless defender and a very honest player. He is brutal in the tackle and defends first, but whoever comes out on top in this one could go a long way to deciding who gets the win.

Does Nicholas know? Ljunberg to score first is 9/1 with Sky Bet. Click here for full odds

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