Gunners face Red Devils

today when they travel to Old Trafford for an FA Cup quarter-final showdown with Manchester United.
After boldly stating last month that his team were ready to challenge for an unprecedented quadruple, Arsene Wenger will be left with only the Premier League to play for if they are beaten on Saturday.
A shock defeat in the League Cup final to Birmingham was followed by Tuesday’s chastening masterclass in the Camp Nou at the hands of Barcelona, where the Gunners lost 3-1 on the night, 4-3 on aggregate.
The rancorous aftermath of that defeat has not been able to mask the reality that Arsenal were well beaten over the two legs, and Wenger now has to pick his side up swiftly for another daunting assignment away from home.
Arsenal have not beaten Manchester United for three years and in matches at Old Trafford their record is even worse, stretching back five years to 2006.
Another defeat on Saturday, against a Manchester United side who are coming off consecutive losses to Chelsea and Liverpool, and the doubts about Arsenal’s ability to prevail in pressure games will resurface.
Wenger has vowed to field his strongest available side, believing that Arsenal desperately need a morale-boosting win to get their season on track.
“At the moment we need that kind of big win, it would help us because we have been hurt severely recently. We are running after a win of that type,” Wenger said this week.
“We will try to win. I have said since the start of the season we will go for all the competitions. We have two left.
“We lost in the last minute in the League Cup final and played the super-favourites in the Champions league and lost in special circumstances.
“We want to change our luck a bit. We will not be overloaded with matches, that is the advantage.
“We have to keep our confidence levels and look at the results we have had recently. Since November this team has taken off.”
Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas is ruled out through injury along with winger Theo Walcott.
Wenger has also come out fighting after Arsenal’s Champions League defeat to Barcelona and he must hope his side does the same as they attempt to salvage their season in the FA Cup sixth round clash at Manchester United.
Gunners manager Wenger and midfielder Samir Nasri were charged with improper conduct by Uefa for comments they made to referee Massimo Busacca immediately after the 3-1 defeat at the Nou Camp.
Wenger and his players were incensed by the controversial sending off of Robin van Persie that, the manager claimed, cost Arsenal the game and a place in the quarter-finals.
Wenger has vowed to fight the charge, branding Uefa a “dictatorship” in the process, but after seeing his side exit two cup competitions in quick succession he knows the more important battle will take place on the pitch at Old Trafford.
Another defeat and Arsenal’s sole remaining target will be to chase down United in the Premier League where Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have a three-point advantage having played a game more.
A victory, though, and a return to the FA Cup final for the first time since 2005, the last time Arsenal won a trophy, will open up.
Wenger is in no doubt about the importance of a victory. “We need it, I must say, because we need help,” he said. “We have been touched severely recently and we are of course chasing after a win of that type.
“I have said since the start of the season that we will go for all of the competitions. We have got two left and we lost one in the last minute, we played another, against the super favourite of the Champions League, and we lost under special circumstances.
“We need to keep the right attitude to turn the luck around on our side a little bit. We are disappointed, but we want to focus on our next target, and we have big targets in front of us.”
Recent form weighs heavily against Wenger’s side with the Gunners having lost five and drawn one of their last six meetings with United and last won at Old Trafford in 2006. – AFP.