Andy's Monday tips - Arsenal will stay top

There are plenty of huge matches coming up in the next few weeks but for those who believe that Chelsea's poor run will continue and that it's still one season too soon for Manchester City, this is the most crucial fixture so far this season. After all, Arsenal and Manchester United have been the two superpowers since the start of the Premier League and started the weekend first and second in the table...

Manchester United v Arsenal

We'll have to wait and see how Sir Alex has his team set up for this one. Will Wayne Rooney play a little more on the left as he often did when Cristiano Ronaldo was at the club as part of a five-man midfield? Will Rooney line up alongside Dimitar Berbatov as a front two? Or will Rooney play up front instead of Berbatov, despite the Bulgarian's five goals against Blackburn?

One thing is for sure, Arsenal will line up in the same way as they have all season and that should mean Marouane Chamakh gets the nod ahead of Robin van Persie, who played okay against Partizan Belgrade, but doesn't look quite fit enough to start a match of this importance yet.

There hasn't been much to choose between these two over the years and I've often looked at how well the respective defences have been playing when trying to work out what's likely to happen. Unfortunately, on this occasion I'm not sure we'll find many clues there, either. Question marks remain over Arsenal's central defensive pairing and goalkeeper whilst Manchester United have rarely been able to field their first-choice back five due to injuries.

If Cesc Fabregas is passed fit for this one that will be a huge boost to Arsenal, in terms of confidence and morale as much as anything, though I doubt he'll be anywhere near 100 per cent if he does play a part here. They've done pretty well when he's been absent on quite a few occasions this season, but they do look a better team when he's there, which is hardly surprising given he's their best player.

I can't really split these two teams at the moment so I won't. The draw looks the best bet and an outcome I'm sure neither manager could be too disappointed with.

Recommended Bets:
Back the draw at [3.7]
Back the 1-1 draw at [8.0]

Andy Gray is now on Twitter so follow him for his exclusive tips and his take on the biggest stories in football each week.

Published: 13 Dec 2010

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