vs 
Manchester United v Arsenal
Barclays Premier League
Old Trafford
Sunday, 30 Aug 2009
Kick off: 00.15am
Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen is ready for this weekend's showdown with Manchester United.
Vermaelen said: "It's the biggest game so far this season and it will be a good test for us. It will be a difficult game.
"We've played against Celtic on Wednesday and United have had a free week but we'll see.
"We have to play our game and we'll see what the result is.
"Everyone looks forward to playing these kind of games — I'm looking forward to it."
it's sat nite or sun nite?
sunday, 12.15 am.
early sunday morning.
The matchup of 2 teams of divers!
Expect a lot of "splashing" around!
Innocent Ed diving against natural "in yr eye" diver Rooney.
Rooney diver? are u even watching the right channel to being with? 
Originally posted by 1greatguy:
The matchup of 2 teams of divers!
Expect a lot of "splashing" around!
Innocent Ed diving against natural "in yr eye" diver Rooney.
disgrace to chelsea fans
no prediction uh ppl?
Originally posted by limpper:no prediction uh ppl?
The devils has a decent record against Gunners, courtesy of Ronaldo's goals.
with the new system SAF's employing, I can't see how they can handle the guile and mobility of the gunners.
but given that the gunners suceptibility from conceding high ball and set plays and Rodney's recent knack of scoring headers.
I have a niggling feeling the score to be a narrow 2-1 in favour of the devils.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has warned his players they dare not lose tomorrow against Arsenal.
The United manager said: “We've lost once and we can't afford to lose another game. Games against Arsenal are never easy and they are always interesting.
“Their start has been the highlight of this season. To win 6-1 at Everton was an amazing result. I can't remember anyone scoring six goals there, certainly not in my time here. So it's been a great start.
“Then they got four goals against Portsmouth and beat Celtic to qualify for the Champions” League, so they've had a great start.
“We know we'll have a game on our hands.”
Well, the first time Manchester United face Arsenal without Cristiano Ronaldo, hope they win though.
Originally posted by Jiemin:Rooney diver? are u even watching the right channel to being with?
so it's on sun morning 1215 not monday morning 1215 right?
yupp, sunday morning, not monday.
Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas has been ruled out of Arsenal's trip to Manchester United on Saturday with a hamstring injury, manager Arsene Wenger told reporters on Friday.
The Spaniard had been rated 50-50 after missing the Champions League victory over Celtic in midweek but failed a fitness test on Friday.
United have no new injury worries, although Rio Ferdinand and Edwin van der Sar are still unavailable.
Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen says he is relishing the prospect of facing Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford on Saturday evening, in the first heavyweight bout of the new season.
The former Ajax stopper has made an impressive start to his Gunners' career, netting on his debut in the club's 6-1 demolition of Everton, before going on to help his side win their next three encounters to ensure a 100 percent start to the campaign.
Arsene Wenger's charge's now face their first acid test of 2009/10 as they go head-to-head with the reigning champions, with Vermaelen tasked with keeping Rooney - who has already scored three times this season - quiet at the Theatre of Dreams.
However, the prospect of facing the England international has not stopped Vermaelen looking forward to the clash.
"We will see how it goes against him. For me it is nice to play United," he said in the Evening Standard.
"It will be my first time playing against Wayne Rooney but I am not nervous. You have to look forward to playing these kinds of games and against players like him.
"At Arsenal, if you play in the Premier League every game is a hard game. In Holland, sometimes you had a game at home and it was easy.
"But here you have to fight hard in every game and you look forward to each match, but this is a special game."
Patrice Evra has turned up the heat ahead of Manchester United's massive clash with Arsenal today.
Recalling last season's clash where he claimed he was deliberately targeted, the French fullback declared: "What Arsenal did that day was shameful. I was asked if it felt like there was a contract out on me and I had to say 'yes, yes, yes'.
"It's not at all the way in which Arsenal normally handle matches because they usually play really good football and are not overly aggressive - it was a big change. That's why I have to thank the referee.
"He came up to me and said 'Look I don't know what's going on but since half-time all the Arsenal players seem to be out to injure you. Don't get involved'."
Cesc Fabregas, crocked for today's clash, was booked for a high lunge on Evra just after the interval.
The game's simmering temperature was then inflamed when the United star angrily snubbed Fabregas' gesture to shake hands.
Evra explained: "I particularly didn't like the reaction Fabregas showed in that game when he knew full well we had a Champions League final to play that month. Yet he put in a bad tackle on me which could easily have robbed me of that final.
"We'll meet again one day, hopefully off the pitch, and I'll be able to let my personality tell him what I think."
Evra refuses to back down from his "men against boys" taunt which sparked all the ill-feeling.
He also told The Sun: "I only said what many other
people were thinking given that we beat them home and away and 4-1 on
aggregate. Everybody knows I don't mind winding things up a little bit
but all I did was speak the truth in this instance.
Maybe I could have said 'Yes, we have a little bit more experience than this young Arsenal team'.
"But I simply like to express myself a little more frankly than that so I said what I thought. If people are honest then they'll know that most agreed with my point of view.
"I'll always speak honestly but I'm still disappointed in the way all this has ended up.
"I know very well that every time we play Arsenal this row will surface. But I'll deal with it, no problem. That's just football as far as I'm concerned."
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says Manchester United's loss of Cristiano Ronaldo is similar to what occurred when he sold Thierry Henry to Barcelona.
Wenger, whose Gunners travel to Old Trafford this evening looking to defend their 100 per cent record, said: "Thierry was, in the end, a personality that had a big weight in the team.
"Also no one could refuse to give him the ball so when he left our play sometimes became a bit more diversified.
"Players like Alex Hleb started to gain more charisma and we had Emmanuel Adebayor, but it takes time.
"United have some big personalities in the team. But Ronaldo won Player of the Year and European Player of the Year so suddenly they have a lack of charisma around them and everybody will look at their team differently.
"Ronaldo didn't look as convincing as the year before. Though when you look at the numbers of games he played and the number of goals he scored he was still as efficient as before.
"I believe they will miss him. When a player becomes too strong in a team, others are a little bit isolated or forgotten.
"So when he disappears many of the players turn up because of the way the game goes through different players.
"Yes, you could say this is their Thierry Henry moment."
Wah Liao.. Arshavin shoot like RPG.. power!
0-1
arsenal seems better, for now
ryan not happy with robin
arsenal is unbeaten for the last 46 games when they lead at half time.