Something For The Weekend: Man United vs Arsenal

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.