Match day folks! And it’s time to put everything to one side – the worry of a resurgent United, the fear of a blip after City’s win against Wolves, the concern over two goalless draws in the Premier League previously – and get the job done this afternoon.

Arsenal go into this one with a real opportunity to lay down another marker because, despite some of their challenges this season, this is still Manchester United. It is still an old foe. It is still a side with players who can be difference-makers. So Arteta and his charges need to make sure that those players are quietened, whilst our match winners are emboldened.

I cannot see United going for us with this one. Think the FA Cup game last season at home. Yes, we had a man advantage for big chunks of it, but even before then, United scored with a counter and basically their first shot, if I remember rightly. They will want to draw on that today, and Carrick will be setting his side up to box in that space centrally in and around the penalty box, then hit us with rapid counters using the likes of Amad, Mbuembo, etc, with Bruno Fernanez as the distributor. Think their first goal against City; that’s what they want to do with us – catch us with man-on-man and see if they can take their chances. We have to be ready.

I do wonder if Arteta will do more of what worked versus Inter, i.e. leave some individuals to win the duels, thereby leaving it a bit more of an open game…

…Who am I kidding? Domestically, Arteta favours caution over anything else; he will in no way, shape, or form be happy with United transitioning on us and will instead look to control the ball and pace. I’d love us to start quickly and press down on United’s neck early, but I just don’t see it. I think we will do what we’ve done with a number of these ‘bigger’ games this season; feel our way into the game, lots of possession for our back line, plenty of probing, but the first half being one in which we ‘feel’ out United, without committing ourselves.

Of course, an early goal for us changes everything, which is what I think every Arsenal fan right now is praying for. We get an early goal, then there is no United deep-block, compact, containment game. They have to come out and a football match may well just break out.

Key men for us today are, I think, in that midfield. I suspect we revert back to the first choice, three of Zubi, Rice and Odegaard, but I’d be tempted to go Eze instead of Odegaard. Mainly for those probing, incisive, central vertical balls like we saw for the first goal against Inter. That’s the sort of stuff I feel might be able to unlock what I think will be a stubborn United defence today. I don’t think he will go for Eze instead of Odegaard, but perhaps the England international has a role to play at some stage today?

Up top, I favour trickery over speed, which is why I’m just not starting Martinelli over Trossard. Saka and Trossard need to be the first choice, but who goes up top, now that’s the more interesting conversation. For me, I think Gabriel Jesus should get the nod. He showed great form in midweek; he looked sharp, plus I do think we need to try something different. Maybe Gyokeres is an impact player for the last 20 minutes to use his running power against tired defences? I wouldn’t be against that.

Of course, Arteta could go really left of field and play Havertz from the start. It feels massively unlikely, given that he hasn’t even played of late, other than the cameo against Chelsea and Portsmouth. But I wouldn’t put it past Arteta to have been training Kai hard so he can be as close to match fit for this one, because Kai Havertz up against those two Man United central defenders would be the best iteration of Arsenal, if fit, in my opinion. I suspect he will go with Big Vik, though. Let’s just hope that the great goal he scored in midweek can spark something within the Swede.

Other than that, the only final question is at left back, for which I suspect he’ll just go with Timber on the left and White at right back. It’s a risk, because Ben has been playing more games and we know what happened when he played three in a row – we lost him for a month. We can’t have that again. If Hincapie or Calafiori are fit, that’s great, but both have spent a bit of time out, and it feels like this is not really the game you can ease them into.

I want this. So much. Man United dealt me so much pain in my formative years of supporting Arsenal. They have even won games post-Ferguson in which they were, frankly, a bit shit. So this one always feels like it has that little bit of extra edge. Those players need to use that, feed off the crowd, and get the job done. If you want to win league titles, these are the sort of matches in which you need to step up.

So go do it, Arsenal.

Right, i’ll leave it there. Let’s hope for three points and a bunch of happy Gooners tomorrow.

Catch you then.