The rivalry between Manchester United and Arsenal lost luster in recent years as the Gunners were left behind in the struggle for the major trophies. That scenario could change when the teams are the faces at Old Trafford on Wednesday in a duel of English clubs in the first leg of the semifinals of the Champions League.
United has more pressure because it is the team to beat, said zaguero Arsenal Kolo Toure. United won the title last season, but we will go to do their best playing carefree and passing the ball.
We know that Manchester United have a problem when playing against us.
United showed their power when they picked up a 2-0 against in the second half and crushed 5-2 at Tottenham on Saturday in the Premier League with two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and another pair of Wayne Rooney.
Arsenal has a focus on Christian, who scored a goal in the final of the last campaign, and hinted that the Touré wheel of 19 years Kieran Gibbs could be a personal best on the Portuguese end.
Let him play (to Gibbs), said Toure. It is a good player and very intelligent. It came at a difficult time when we have to play with the big teams and I think we showed a lot of personality.
Rooney and Cristiano holders are almost safe from Arsenal, which won 2-0 at Middlesbrough on Sunday with two targets of the Spanish Cesc Fábregas.
The coach of United, Alex Ferguson, has used the Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov as the third attacker in the Champions League at the expense of the Argentine Carlos Tevez.
Tevez was a crucial figure in Saturday's comeback against Tottenham, and Argentina has said that perhaps it will leave the team when his loan expires at the end of the season by the lack of play in matches.
Although its front gets scared, the defending United is the big question.
In the first half (against Tottenham) is not very well defended. In the supplement we defended much better and so we have to play against Arsenal or any other equipment, said the central Nemanja Vidic.
The zaguero felt that the constant rotation of players in multiple tournaments dispute that the club can be part of the problem that afflicts the defense.
The first game is at home, so we need a good result. We have to write goals, and especially we need to improve what has not been good in recent games, said the Serbian. It is important not to award a goal, but we have players who can score.
United's defense will have to contain the striker Emmanuel Adebayor, the letter of the Gunners goal.
It is a great player and has the ability to record, said Vidic. It's big and strong, and in that sense you can expect a difficult game.
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