Manchester United vs. Arsenal: 5 Reasons Why The Gunners Can Beat The Red Devils

Arsenal will take on Manchester United in a fixture that could prove pivotal in the title race.

At the end of May, one team will be holding the trophy aloft while others ponder what were the things that could have fetched them the trophy. The Gunners will surely be confident that they can win the title after seven years, but it is games like these which determine the mental strength of the squad.

The Gunners are looking competitive in all the trophies and they should put behind the draw for the Champions League and concentrate on this fixture on Monday. Manchester United have been extremely successful in recent history and will look to reclaim the EPL title after losing out to Chelsea last season.

The Red Devils have impressively been unbeaten in the Premiership and will look to maintain that record against Arsenal.

The Gunners have a few fitness worries and recent updates suggest that Cesc Fabregas might only just make the bench, but even that is uncertain, while Abou Diaby and Thomas Vermaelen are out of the game.

Johan Djourou and Gael Clichy should be fit for the game while Kieran Gibbs is ruled out. Robin van Persie has returned to full fitness to present a headache for Wenger on whether to start both the strikers or not.

Manchester United will be bolstered by the return to form of Anderson who is showing promise in midfield, and if Paul Scholes does not make the starting 11, Anderson will be expected to keep his place. Rio Ferdinand is expected to be fit for the clash while long-term absentee Antonio Valencia is still some way from full fitness, which would mean that Ji Sung Park will retain his place in midfield.

Nani, for once, was absolutely spot on when he said that Manchester United should beware of Samir Nasri, as he has been the best player of the season for Arsenal.

Nasri has demonstrated the sort of consistency that very few players have shown in this season and he has become the most potent attacking threat for the Gunners.

He is very good at making expertly-timed diagonal runs, which are extremely hard to mark. His combination play and dribbling use have been put to good use, but more importantly, it is his composure in the penalty area which has been outstanding.

Nasri had a superb game against Manchester United in his debut season, where he scored a brace for the Gunners.

He has always been rated as a player with tremendous potential, but he is realising it in this season and has been the best player of the season for Arsenal. His dribbling skills will present a great threat for Patrice Evra, who has not had his best season till now.

Arsenal had a scoring rate of more than three goals a game in the last season until the injury of Robin van Persie, and their goalscoring rate dipped alarmingly, which could be cited as one of the major reasons for their failure to win a trophy in the last season.

Van Persie was injured earlier in the season, but Arsenal did score at a decent rate, thanks to the consistency of Marouane Chamakh.

Chamakh has been an excellent acquisition for the Gunners and is currently the second-highest goalscorer of the season for the Gunners, only behind the in-form Samir Nasri.

However, Van Persie remains Arsenal's most important and lethal finisher and his return to full match fitness will be a huge boost to the Gunners. Besides, he also scored from the penalty spot, which would boost his confidence.

With Robin van Persie in their lineup and Marouane Chamakh on the bench, they will have two excellent strikers in their squad and it has not been the case in a long time for the Gunners. Manchester United's defence will have to deal with Van Persie's creativity along with the composure and vision of Samir Nasri and Andrei Arshavin.

Arsenal have lost to West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle united and Tottenham at the Emirates, and these games should have been won considering the Gunners were favourites.

However, it has not derailed the title challenge in a huge way because of their rivals' inconsistency and their excellent away form.

They have played without fear on their away trips and have scored freely, which has helped them stay alive in the title race. Their only defeat away from home was against Chelsea when they had a depleted squad, who were just trying to find their feet after a morale-sapping loss against West Brom in their previous league fixture.

However, they created enough chances to worry any opposition and at that time, Chelsea were in peak form and Samir Nasri and Andrei Arshavin were yet to find their best form.

The Gunners will have nothing to fear going into the game against the Red Devils and will be upbeat for the challenge. This is the first time in recent seasons that the absence of Cesc Fabregas has not hampered them too much which is mainly due to the superb form of Samir Nasri and the return to form and fitness of Tomas Rosicky.

The buoyant Gunners will have no fear when they make the trip to Manchester because they will believe in their ability and they will be aware that a loss will not mean the end of the road for them, which has been the scenario in the last couple of occasions that the two teams have met.

Arsene Wenger was widely criticized for his hesitation to sign an experienced keeper who could provide a lot of quality to the Gunners.

The criticism seemed justified when Manuel Almunia committed blunders, which were the main reasons for their defeat at the hands of West Bromwich Albion. However, from that game, he has been injured (or that is what Wenger has maintained) and deputy keeper lukasz Fabianski has got a consistent run of games.

Fabianski had a disastrous last season when he was culpable for many soft goals and was rightly criticised. However, he has developed a lot of resilience and his displays have been confident.

He has not been helped by a shaky backline, but he has done his job pretty well. He does commit the occasional error, but he has also made some very vital saves.

Almunia was responsible for Nani's opener in the last season, and as supporters, we can hope that Fabianski has a good game against United. He has shown that he has the quality to be the first choice keeper and has made good reflex saves, most notably Everton, Wolverhampton and Manchester City.

It would not be an exaggeration to comment that the Gunners have a very strong bench, which is amongst the best in the Premiership. They have many established Internationals on the bench and can call upon them when needed.

It is mainly due to Wenger's astute stewardship that a number of young talents have had a lot of playing time.

The Mexican International Carlos Vela is one of the world's best emerging prospects and he is already a regular for his country, Mexico. Vela has regularly been on the bench, and in this season, he could not even be accommodated on the bench due to the immense competition for places in the team.  

Denilson, who has made over 130 appearances for the Gunners, will also be on the bench because of Jack Wilshere's brilliant form.

I shall predict the starting 11 and the seven substitutes and will name some of the familiar faces who could not even make the bench.

Starting 11

Lukasz Fabianski, Gael Clichy, Sebastien Squillaci, Laurent Koscielny, Bacary Sagna, Jack Wilshere, Alex Song, Tomas Rosicky, Andrei Arshavin, Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri.

Substitutes

Wojciech Szczesny, Emmanuel Eboue, Johan Djourou, Denilson, Marouane Chamakh, Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott.

If Cesc Fabregas is deemed fit to make the squad, it is further bad news for Nicklas Bendtner, who will be the one most likely to miss out.

Carlos Vela will also not feature in the match due to the immense competition. Aaron Ramsey will return from loan in January and Wenger will find it tough to accommodate his players in the 18-member squad.

Also, it must be noted that Thomas Vermaelen and Abou Diaby are regulars in the squad who will not feature because of injuries and Kieran Gibbs would have also most probably been included if not for his injury.