It would be a massive understatement to say that Arsenal and Manchester United had very contrasting weeks in Europe, not least because the Gunners were dumped up in heartbreaking circumstances at Anfield on Tuesday night while United had about as comfortable a progression to the semi-finals as you could hope for when playing the second best team in Serie A. It wasn't just the results that were contrasting either, it was the manner in which the games were played, and the players who took part in them, and that could well play a massive role when the two teams meet at Old Trafford this weekend.

For Arsenal, it was their strongest possible first team that played against Liverpool, as it had to be after the 1-1 draw at the Emirates a week earlier, and they ran themselves into the ground trying to book their place in the semis. The real problem with that is that the Gunners have looked like a team running on empty for some time now, with injuries taking their toll on a squad that is badly lacking in experienced back-up players, and at times on Tuesday night they looked exhausted of energy, belief and inspiration.

In many ways, their 4-2 defeat at Anfield encapsulated their entire season; they started well, played some astonishing football and went ahead before injuries took their toll, but despite some struggles midway through, they looked to have pushed back in the lead just before the final straight, only to collapse and end up empty-handed. There is no doubt that bad luck has played its part in Arsenal's downfall, and Arsene Wenger is always happy to point out the number of crucial decisions that have gone against them, particularly in both legs of the quarter-final.

If the penalty hadn't been given against Kolo Toure on Tuesday, Arsenal may well have held on to go through, and injuries have certainly caused plenty of problems. With Mathieu Flamini going off on Tuesday, Robin van Persie having to come on dressed as a mummy as he continues his fitness battle, and the likes of Eduardo, Denilson, Tomas Rosicky and Bacary Sagna all out injured, Wenger's squad has been stretched in the last few weeks and he hasn't been able to find an answer.

But that cannot all be down to bad luck, and Wenger has to take some culpability for his team's failings this season. His refusal to spend the money that has been available to him for transfers can obviously be seen as noble in a world where clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea and United think nothing of splashing the cash when required, but can also be seen as slightly pig-headed and stubborn. 'Arsene Knows' is the fans' mantra when it comes to their boss, but how much is the collapse of their season down to him not knowing when to strengthen his young and fragile squad?

When looking for a moment 'when it all started to go wrong', you don't have to look too hard for the Gunners, and this weekend's game will bring the memories flooding back. They went to Old Trafford in the FA Cup on the back of four straight wins and in excellent form, but seemed lethargic, uninspired and apathetic in the 4-0 defeat they suffered there, and when it was followed a week later by the traumatic trip to Birmingham City, Arsenal seemed to fall apart (with the obvious exemption being their win at the San Siro) and have won just two of their 11 games since they were last at Old Trafford.

Wenger's task now is to make sure they don't turn up already defeated this weekend, a tough task after what his players went through in midweek, and that doesn't just apply to their mental exertions, because he will have to stick with pretty much the same players who played against Liverpool, even though many of them seemed out on their feet by the end of it. The same certainly cannot be said for United, who had the luxury of leaving star man Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench for their match against Roma a day later, with Wayne Rooney only coming on for a runaround with 20 minutes to go, presumably because Sir Alex Ferguson was sick of being pestered by him.

The team selection against Roma was certainly a sign of how important Sunday's match is to United, because after last weekend's draw at Middlesbrough, they know that they cannot afford to drop any more points ahead of their trip to Chelsea later this month. Even so, it will be interesting to see what kind of system they utilise against the Gunners, given how well they did with a much-changed side in the Cup match, using a similarly free-flowing set-up as worked so effectively in the first half on Wednesday night.

That time Darren Fletcher and Nani were charging forwards along with Ji-Sung Park and Anderson to support Wayne Rooney, rather than Ryan Giggs and Owen Hargreaves behind Carlos Tevez, but Ferguson will have to be tempted to employ similar tactics again, given how much trouble Arsenal had in coping with them. Gilberto Silva was in for Flamini that day and had no answer to United's movement, and he may well be used again on Sunday with the Frenchman likely to miss out through injury.

A repeat of the 4-0 scoreline is unlikely, but United came across a way to make the Gunners very uncomfortable back in February and if they can play with the same attacking enterprise again, they may find the opposition again struggling to keep track of them. Given the week Arsenal have had, if they concede an early goal on Sunday, it's hard to see how even the spirit they showed at Bolton would be able to save them from a harrowing end to an awful week.

Win or bust at Man Utd - Wenger
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits his side's whole season now hinges on beating Manchester United on Sunday after their Champions League exit.

"It will be the greatest achievement of my career to win the Premier League now because we are swimming against the stream at the moment," said Wenger.

"For us the game on Sunday is the game of the season. If we do not win this game we have no chance.

"We will fight until the last second of the championship."

The Gunners are in third place, six points behind United and three adrift of Chelsea, who play Wigan Athletic on Monday.

"It depends on what happens on Sunday," added the Arsenal boss.

"If we win then we can win the title and that's what is important for us to focus on.

"What is at stake on Sunday is the work of a whole year. If we go there and don't believe in ourselves then it is over.

"But do you really think that we will go to Manchester United thinking that our season is over? That would be ridiculous."

Arsenal would close the gap on United to three points with a victory at Old Trafford, while Ferguson's team would still have to play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

"Do you really think that we go to Manchester United on Sunday believing the season is over? That would be ridiculous," said Wenger.

"We have worked extremely hard since the first day of the season against all the odds.

"We will fight until the last second of the championship, especially on Sunday. If we win on Sunday then realistically we can win the title.
Arsenal have lost the likes of Abou Diaby, Denilson, Tomas Rosicky and Robin van Persie to injury this season.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes such setbacks have damaged Arsenal's title bid, with the London club having won just one of their last seven Premier League fixtures.

"Arsenal have had injuries," said Ferguson. "You can't win games consistently without your best team.

"You just can't do it, not at the level we're at. You can't get the best results without your best players.

"I think it is Arsenal's injuries in the second half of the season that has made it difficult to rest players."

Should United beat the Gunners on Sunday they will move nine points clear of Wenger's men and all but ensure Arsenal's season, which began so promisingly, ends trophyless.

Arsenal's dreams of lifting the European Cup were dashed on Tuesday when they were knocked out of the Champions League by Liverpool in a thrilling European encounter.

United defeated Roma to seal a place in the last four of the Champions League - but in their previous Premier League fixture they drew 2-2 at Middlesbrough, dropping two points.

"It's hard to recover from these things," said Ferguson of Arsenal's defeat to Liverpool.

"If we beat them, it makes it difficult for them, no question. It's difficult anyway because they're six points behind us and three points behind Chelsea.

"With five games to go there's not a lot of leeway and they can't afford to drop anything really.

"But we have got to look at ourselves and make sure we keep motoring.

"Every game is a must-win now. We dropped two points last week and we need to win our games, it's as simple as that."

But Ferguson is unhappy with the scheduling of the fixtures over the final weeks of the season.

Chelsea play Everton four days after Wigan - and Blues boss Avram Grant has already expressed his displeasure.

But Ferguson countered: "They've got a good rest for Monday and then three days later they've got Everton away and then they've got a five-day break before they play Liverpool (in the Champions League).

"Then they've got a four-day break before they play us in the league game. Our schedule is a bit more congested."

United play Barcelona twice and Chelsea in the space of seven days.

(All kick-offs are 1500 BST unless specified)

SATURDAY

Birmingham City v Everton

Despite their off-the-field problems, I think that Birmingham will take a point from this fixture.

Birmingham are scrapping for their lives and will avoid relegation, if only by virtue of the fact Bolton are on their way down along with Fulham and Derby.

Everton had not won for a while before they defeated Derby last Sunday but they were not particularly convincing in that game.

Verdict: 1-1

Bolton Wanderers v West Ham United

Bolton have struggled to score goals and I think the natives are restless at the Reebok Stadium.

You could see the 4-0 defeat at Aston Villa coming, after the devastating manner of their 3-2 loss by Arsenal the week before.

They did not replace striker Nicolas Anelka - a crazy situation - and it looks like they have totally collapsed.

Verdict: 1-2

Derby County v Aston Villa

Derby seem to be playing with a bit more confidence at the moment.

There is no longer any pressure on them to perform and, even though they lost, I thought they were decent at Everton.

But having beaten Bolton last weekend, Aston Villa have come out of their bad spell, when I thought they looked a little tired.

They have had a decent season and I think they will beat Derby.

Verdict: 0-2

Reading v Fulham

Reading recovered well after suffering eight straight Premier League defeats earlier in the year.

Manager Steve Coppell made a few changes and they are now in good form at home.

I think Fulham's 3-1 defeat at the hands of Sunderland last weekend was the death knell for them.

I thought after their draw at Blackburn was followed by a win over Everton that they might be about to mount a revival but they have not been able to kick on from those two good results.

Verdict: 2-0

Sunderland v Manchester City

Sunderland's home form has been their saviour - and as with other struggling teams, they are virtually safe as a consequence of Bolton's plight.

They play with lots of confidence at home, whereas Manchester City have been pretty average of late.

City have suffered from missing a couple of key players, such as Micah Richards, but look placed to build on a promising season with the right investment in the summer.

Verdict: 2-1

Tottenham v Middlesbrough

I think that Tottenham boss Juande Ramos has worked out who he wants to leave and who he wants to bring in over the summer months.

And I expect Tottenham to grow as a team next season.

Boro were very good against Man Utd last Sunday and it looks like they are improving under Gareth Southgate.

However, Tottenham were battered 4-1 by Newcastle in their last home game and I think they will be back with a bang.

Verdict: 2-0

Portsmouth v Newcastle United - Kick off 1715

I thought Portsmouth might slip up against West Ham on Tuesday having secured their place in the FA Cup Final the previous weekend.

Nonetheless, I think their Cup exploits might start to catch up with them.

I'm tipping Newcastle to continue their recent run by picking up a point at Fratton Park.

Kevin Keegan has seen his team lose games and win a few as well - and has probably learnt a lot about his players as a result.

Verdict: 1-1

SUNDAY

Liverpool v Blackburn Rovers - Kick-off 1330 BST

It is a weird situation at Liverpool at the moment that is rapidly turning into a farce.

I wish the two Americans owners - Tom Hicks and George Gillett - would sort themselves out. They are like a married couple bickering over money.

And this is at a club that could find itself in a Champions League final.

Liverpool, who have been linked with David Bentley, have a good home record against Blackburn and I think they will win on Sunday.

Verdict: 2-0

Manchester United v Arsenal - Kick-off 1600 BST

In the Champions League match at Liverpool on Tuesday, Arsenal were great for 30 minutes but then ran out of steam.

They look a bit rudderless at the moment and, by their own standards, Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor have been mediocre over the last few weeks.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson rested a few players against Roma and I think his team will come out with all guns blazing against Arsenal.

The only negative for them at the moment is the absence of Nemanja Vidic but they seem able to cope without him for a few weeks.

Verdict: 1-0

MONDAY

Chelsea v Wigan Athletic - Kick-off 2000 BST

All is not well at Chelsea, but they keep winning games.

I think that Roman Abramovich wants to be entertained when he watches his team play.

If you have poured the best part of half billion into a club you don't want to turn up on a Saturday and think 'oh, this isn't very good to watch'.

He sees the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona and Real Madrid play entertaining football while being relatively successful and must wonder why Chelsea aren't doing so.

Abramovich wants Chelsea to move to the next level.

In terms of Premier League survival, I think Wigan will be OK. They certainly have enough battlers in their side to ensure that they will keep picking up points.

That said, I think Chelsea will keep the pressure on Manchester United with a win over the Latics.

Verdict: 2-0