Source: SKY_Sports
Quick and the Red
One thing you can be sure of when Manchester United meet Arsenal is some great football.[LNB] I'm not sure we'll get the kind of goals people are predicting, and what with it being the first leg of a Champions League semi-final you might find both sides are a little more wary than they would usually be.[LNB]But even when they are not packing a punch, all Arsenal know is silky passing football, and United were irresistible in the second half of their game against Tottenham on Sunday.[LNB]It will be interesting to see what kind of team Alex Ferguson picks, particularly high up the pitch. United are at home and the manager will be looking for a high-energy display, so it could be that he goes with Carlos Tevez ahead of Dimitar Berbatov.[LNB]It was too easy for Spurs in the first half at Old Trafford - nobody was pressing their defenders and they were able to settle comfortably.[LNB]Alex certainly will not want Arsenal getting that kind of foothold on Wednesday night, and he will have noticed the way the game changed completely when Tevez came on and started putting himself about.[LNB]InexperienceArsene Wenger will not be able to call on his first-choice defence, and it looks as though the left side of the four might be made up of Kieran Gibbs and Johan Djourou. That would leave them short of experience, and it's another reason to put them under pressure from the word go.[LNB]Gibbs has pace, but he is not as good a player as Gael Clichy - not at all. His positional sense isn't there yet and he gives the ball away a bit more than Clichy does. I wouldn't be surprised to see Cristiano Ronaldo hugging that right touchline early in the game to see if he can get at the young man.[LNB]I think Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs have to start, too. I'm not sure Giggs was the right choice for PFA Player of the Year - it was an emotive decision and I don't begrudge him, but on a purely professinoal level there were other candidates ahead of him.[LNB]But that's not to say he doesn't still have a valuable role to play in these big games, and both he and Scholes are players who move the ball forward quickly. Much as I admire Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher, they don't have that same single-minded desire to pick out a telling pass, and if you're looking to make home advantage count that penetration is a must.[LNB]VulnerableUnited have their own vulnerabilities, though, even if the recent criticism of Nemanja Vidic went a bit overboard. I'd have no worries about Vidic or Rio Ferdinand ahead of a game this big, but there may be something for Arsenal to exploit in the wide areas.[LNB]You feel you have a chance with both Patrice Evra and young Rafael Da Silva, and it's a shame for the Gunners that they have neither Andrey Arshavin nor Robin van Persie available to attack down the left in the way Theo Walcott will down the right.[LNB]Arsene has the option of starting Samir Nasri there, though he has been used more centrally recently, and if the manager wants to play it a bit safe away from home he may look at someone like Abou Diaby.[LNB]Diaby's not a natural wide player, but he may be better equipped to deal with Rafael's attacking tendencies. He could do a job in the first leg, but come the return at the Emirates Arsene might need something extra there.[LNB]RespectWhatever the personnel, I'm expecting an intriguing night because games between these two still retain an intensity even if they have not been in direct competition for the title in recent seasons.[LNB]The relationship between the managers doesn't make the kind of headlines it once did, but you can be sure that there is the utmost respect from Arsene to Alex and Alex to Arsene. They are two proud men who will go to great lengths to stand up for their clubs and their players.[LNB]THOMMO'S CALL: I would perhaps favour Arsenal over the tie, with the second leg being at the Emirates, but I'm going for a 1-0 United win.[LNB]
