Manchester United-Arsenal: Advantage United

(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

I remember eating my words when Arsenal dominated United at the Emirates.

With basically no strikers available except Bendtner, who clearly isn't a good enough player for Arsenal, I had predicted United to win comfortably at the Emirates, only to be shot down by a Nasri brace and a masterclass Arsenal performance.

This time, however, it is different, as not everyone expects Arsenal to lose. Arsenal's rejuvenation in the league has been remarkable, and I don't think there will be any underestimating of Arsenal in Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

Injuries

United have a full squad to choose from—with the exception of recently injured Gary Neville and the always injured Hargreaves—which means Wes Brown, Rafael, and O'Shea are back for this match.

This is an added bonus for United, as the Right Back position has been a weakness in the defensive four this whole season.

Nasri totally owned Gary Neville with his tricks and pace, which was part of the reason why Arsenal had a field day at the Emirates.

With no-nonsense Wes Brown, pacey Rafael, or clumsy-but-effective O'Shea, United have enough reinforcements at the Right Back area.

Arsenal, however, have a lot of players missing for this match. Arshavin has been a great player since signing for Arsenal, and they will miss his creativity and dribbling ability against United.

Gallas and Clichy are still out injured for the Arsenal defence, and they also have chronically ill Robin van Persie and Rosicky out.

That list is essentially a list of five first-team players, so Arsenal are considerably weakened. Add to that the fact that Gibbs and Silvestre are doubts (but I reckon they'll play in the end), and Arsenal have an immense weakness in their defence; United will look to profit there.

Lineup Predictions

I fancy United to line up with a 4-5-1, and Arsenal might do the same. United have been using the 4-5-1 consistently in the Champions League, and the usefulness of the extra midfield cover for the defense shows in the stats.

United have kept the most clean sheets in the competition, a grand total of seven, and boast the best defensive record, having conceded only five goals.

I think Arsenal will do likewise, line up with a 4-5-1 and look to counter-attack with pace as it is at Old Trafford, much like how they played against Liverpool at Anfield.

United: Van der Sar - O'Shea - Ferdinand - Vidic - Evra - Carrick - Ronaldo - Giggs - Fletcher - Rooney - Berbatov

Arsenal: Almunia - Sagna - Djourou - Toure - Gibbs - Song - Walcott - Fabregas - Denilson - Nasri - Adebayor

Goalkeepers

Little or none separates both goalkeepers. Both have excellent shot-stopping abilities and good reflexes. Van der Sar has recovered from the lack of confidence that has plagued him for the past two seasons.

Now he's claiming crosses well again and showing everyone why he used to be considered a world-class goalkeeper. He will be crucial for United to read the game and act as a sweeper, as will Almunia's shot-stopping be for Arsenal.

Van der Sar definitely has more experience than Almunia, and that will play a part in the pressure cooker environment of the semis.

Defenders

Sagna, Djourou, Toure, Gibbs: They aren't exactly the best defenders. Gibbs is young and inexperienced, and it showed when he played against Liverpool.

Dirk Kuyt and Arbeloa combined well on the right flank and peppered the Arsenal penalty box with crosses. A rash clearance while under pressure led to Liverpool going 2-1 up.

While pacey, Gibbs will have a tough time against Ronaldo and the overlapping O'Shea, unless he turns out to be the second coming of Santon.

Sagna is a solid player going forward, but he isn't as good defensively. He relies more on his pace to get back rather than defensive reading of the game, and does occasionally get caught out while being high up the pitch.

Djourou and Toure are average and not world-class. In a nutshell, the Arsenal defence is very shaky at the moment, and United will look to exploit that.

United, on the other hand, have the meanest defence in the competition, if not the world. Aside from the problematic right back spot, which O'Shea has filled in decently, the rest of the defence is just filled with awesome.

Vidic and Ferdinand have formed a partnership that have can thwart any attacking lineup, while Evra has been solid this entire season (other than against Aaron Lennon).

Add to that the fact that United can bring on Rafael, who has looked like a great prospect, or Wes Brown, who was alongside Fletcher as my MOM in the match against Barca last season, or Jonny Evans as defensive cover. United definitely have the edge in terms of quality of defenders.

Central Midfield

Denilson, Song, and Fabregas dos not ooze class and confidence. Denilson is far from the finished product, and for all his combativeness, he is not an accomplished passer of the ball or a great tackler.

Song is prone to his moments of ball-watching and laziness. Fabregas will be Arsenal's main threat from the midfield, and his great passing ability can unlock any defence.

United will have to watch out for him as he has been employed in a more advanced role, like the Gerrard role for Liverpool, and he scored a brace through that over the weekend.

United, on the other hand, will probably play Fletcher, Carrick, and Giggs. Perhaps Scholes in place of Carrick. Or maybe Anderson instead of Fletcher.

Whatever the permutation, there is class in the midfield for United. Fletcher has featured steadily for the first team, and he has put in some great performances in the heart of midfield.

He has great energy and is decent going forward as well, not to mention that he is THE big game player. Carrick has grown well into his defensive midfield role and provides great defensive cover, along with great through balls from midfield.

As for the PFA player of the year, well, he singlehandedly destroyed the Chelsea midfield in the famous 3-0 win this season.

His ability to beat a man and then pick a pass will definitely be crucial to unlocking the Arsenal defence, as Arsenal will try to crowd out the middle of the park to prevent United from passing the ball to the front trio.

One thing that might undo United would be their lack of pace in midfield, and that should be Arsenal's main focal point should both Scholes and Giggs start.

I still give the edge to United and think that United have the better midfield and should be able to boss the match.

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