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Manchester United versusArsenal remains one of the key components of Premier League folklore. The contest is highly anticipated by the footballing world, but where will the battle be won and lost at Old Trafford?

Arsene Wenger faces the unenviable task of beating United in their own manor. It’s a challenge his side have not overcome since October 2006, when Emmanuel Adebayor scored the winner with just minutes remaining.

However, Wenger is going to come up against his old nemesis in Jose Mourinho. The Frenchman has never overcome Mourinho during his time in the Premier League, with thirteen previous contests witnessing the Special One claim a result on each occasion.

Saturday’s fixture sees the spark re-lit as the duo remain in contention for the Premier League crown – albeit Arsenal making a far stronger case than United thus far.

But what battles are the most important this weekend? We take a look at five crucial match-ups as the heavyweight duo prepare to lock horns at Old Trafford in a lunch-time feast.

Alexis Sanchez vs Matteo Darmian

The duel could be brutal. Sanchez can lay claim to being one of the most in-form players in the Premier League, and it wouldn’t be an understatement to say Darmian is not.

With Antonio Valencia missing due to injury, Darmian is expected to deputise in his place. Wenger should play Giroud centrally and allow the pace and energy of Sanchez to damage the United full-back.

If Darmian can produce what he regularly displays for Italy, then it could silence Sanchez and tip the fixture in United’s favour.

Carl Jenkinson vs Anthony Martial

The battle between this duo is not too dissimilar to Darmian and Sanchez. Carl Jenkinson is expected to make his first Arsenal league appearance in nearly three years following an injury to Hector Bellerin.

On the contrary, Martial is finally scheduled to return to the United team following the suspension of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The pace of Martial against Jenkinson could prove a mismatch, with the consequences being fatal if the Frenchman comes out on top.

Jenkinson will need to remain defensively solid and contain Martial – who will be determined to make his mark after a few weeks on the sidelines.

Petr Cech vs David De Gea

Rarely do we witness two of the best going head-to-head against each other but Saturday will see two of the finest Premier League goalkeepers do battle.

Cech’s record at Old Trafford is impeccable, while De Gea’s history of facing Arsenal is of a similar status to Cech.

Indeed, whoever comes out on top this weekend is likely to see their team victorious. Both keepers will be called upon to make crucial saves.

Marcus Rashford vs Shkodran Mustafi

Two of the brightest stars of 2016 will attempt to be overcome each other at Old Trafford but just who will come out on top?

Mustafi remains one of the league’s most in-form defenders following his summer move from Valencia. The German has been sensational and not taken any prisoners when it comes to major games.

Rashford is likely to replace the suspended Ibrahimovic up front and will be determined to impress in the central role.

Jose Mourinho vs Arsene Wenger

Wenger versus Mourinho – the bitterest Premier League managerial rivalry to ever grace England’s top-flight. It’s not the importance of the rivalry but the hatred the pair hold for one another that has surpassed anything previously witnessed.

Saturday’s clash will see the duo do battle once more and the winner of the tactical war is likely to see his team victorious. There’s certainly no love lost for each other, but the mutual respect is evident.

Another European adventure is over for Celtic and having not won a group stage game for the first time in their history, some progress is required if they’re to make it through to the Last 16 or even into the Europa League in 2016/17.Despite creditable away draws to Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach, the Bhoys were surprisingly let down by their home form and finished bottom of Group C,ÂonÂthree points.

We can’t be too harsh on Brendan Rodgers’ team, though, as they faced, arguably, the toughest group in the competition with Barcelona, Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach being three of the best teams in Europe.

There’s a long way to go and the learning process continues, but if Celtic do a few things right between now and the summer then a more prolonged run in Europe is a distinct possibility.

Here are FIVE things that Celtic need in order to progress further in Europe next season…

Ruthlessness

The Bhoys performed admirably in the main across the Group C campaign but there are key moments in each match that they can look back on and wish they had done differently.

Callum McGregor away to Gladbach, Scott Sinclair at home to the Germans, Moussa Dembele’s missed penalty in Barcelona and his chance away to Manchester City.

The chances were there for Celtic but they lacked the composure and cutting edge to stick them away. That’s the difference at the top level and if they can go into a new campaign with more confidence, perhaps things will work out differently next time.

An easier group!

It doesn’t get much tougher than facing some of the strongest sides that Spain, Germany and England have to offer. Celtic were mightily unlucky not to get a more favourable draw with less established opponents.

Barcelona, in particular,Âseem to follow Celtic around in these group draws – the two sides have been drawn together at this stage of the competition in Celtic’s last three Champions League campaigns.

Every Celtic fan would be glad to see the back of them given that they dish out a beating to the Scottish champions more often than not.

A stronger defence

It’s no secret that the main problem with Celtic in Europe is their leaky defence. The Bhoys conceded in every Group C match, a massive 16 in total.

Only Legia Warsaw in Group F conceded more, and the Polish side had a similarly tough group.

It may not require a massive change in personnel with Jozo Simunovic and Erik Sviatchenko looking like a partnership that could blossom into something solid. The Hoops were also unlucky to lose Kieran Tierney when they did.

They do need different options in the wide areas,Âthough, to offer better cover and provide first-team competition. If Rodgers can make that one of his transfer window priorities, the Bhoys shouldn’t look so fragile come next season.

Make Celtic Park a fortress again

It’s become aÂtradition for Celtic’s Champions League to falter based on their away form, but that wasn’t the case this season. Earning two draws away from home in the group stages would be a positive for most clubs in the competition.

It was at home things went sour with defeats to Barcelona and Borussia Monchengladbach sinking their hopes of progressing.

The kind of display produced against Manchester City in the 3-3 was never replicated and there was a distinct lack of spirit in the defeats compared to campaigns of the past.

Celtic Park was once a well-known European fortress and in order to progress further in Europe next season, they have to put everything into making sure no team escapes Glasgow with a result.

Another quality midfielder

Scott Brown has excelled in the middle of the park for the Hoops this season, with his tireless performances keeping Celtic going throughout the competition.

His partners have been less reliable, though, with Nir Bitton struggling for form and Stuart Armstrong looking slightly out of his depth against Barcelona.

Armstrong admittedly improved massively away to Manchester City and seems to be developing into the player locked behind potential, but Celtic need another option to compete for his place and push on to a new level.

Signing a quality and experienced midfielder isn’t easy but it must be Rodgers’ priority in January and next summer if they are to go toe-to-toe with Europe’s best and stay in continental competition past Christmas.

As reported by The Mirror, Liverpool are looking at Joe Hart as a potential solution to their goalkeeping problem next summer.

What’s the word?

Liverpool have had some key goalkeeping blunders of the last few months and Jurgen Klopp is hoping to put an end to that dilemma in the summer with the signing of Man City’s on-loan goalkeeper.

After a series of impressive Torino performances, The Mirror reckon that’s attracted interest from not only the Reds but Serie A clubs too.

City are, of course, ready to sell after a break down in the relationship between the England international and Pep Guardiola.

Torino themselves are keen to keep a hold of the goalkeeper given his form for them this season.

Still good enough?

A lot has been said about Joe Hart over the last 18 months. A few high profile errors have coloured people’s opinion of him and there are some who reckon he might not have what it takes to either play for England or one of Europe’s elite clubs.

Hart was one of Torino’s best players just this past week, making 4 key stops in a 1-0 victory over Genoa. It’s one of a number of fine performances this season with displays against Roma, Empoli and Crotone also helping to win points.

A return home would bring a lot of media attention and speculation but if he can get back to making excellent saves again, that would soon die down.

With the future of Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet fairly uncertain given the patchy form of both, perhaps a move to Liverpool would be beneficial to all parties. Joe Hart can prove he still has what it takes and Liverpool get a fine international goalkeeper on their hands.

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Manchester United won their sixth Premier League in a row on Monday evening after making the trip to London to play their second game in 2 days. West Ham United were the victims, who fell to a 2-0 defeat thanks to goals from Juan Mata and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.It was a hard fought victory for the Red Devils, despite having a man advantage for the vast majority of the game. Sofiane Feghouli was sent off in the fifteenth minute, a decision that looked like a harsh one from referee Mike Dean.A heavy dose of luck then, but United worked hard for their victory and their quality eventually shone through.The result means that Mourinho has managed something significant. He’s guided United to their best form since the Alex Ferguson-era at Old Trafford, as this stat from Squawka shows.United have now gone 13 games unbeaten in all competitions for the first time since Ferguson was in charge, in 2013.

Mourinho was brought to the club to bring glory days back to the club and while there’s obviously plenty of work to do, this shows things are most definitely going in the right direction.

There’s every chance that the side are going to kick on now and push their way into the top 4 positions. A return to the Champions League would be anotherÂmassive step forward for Mourinho at Man United.

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As reported by The Daily Mail, Burnley are ready to break their club record for an incoming transfer to bring Norwich’s star midfielder Robbie Brady to Turf Moor.

What’s the story?

Norwich seem determined to hold onto Republic of Ireland star Brady but as the value of offers keeps increasing, how long can they remain stubborn?

The Mail report Burnley’s latest offer, their third so far, is more than the £10.5m they paid to bring Brady’s international teammate Jeff Hendrick to the club from Derby County.

It’s a deal that could total £13m and may force Norwich to sell despite Alex Neil being desperate to hold onto his man for the Canaries’ Championship play-off hopes.

Why Brady?

The Ireland international is a versatile left sided player and can not only excel in an attacking winger capacity, but slot into Burnley’s left-back position.

Stephen Ward is a dependable hand at the back for Burnley but could use competition and players like George Boyd haven’t been very effective further forward. It’s that versatility that will be attractive to Sean Dyche but Brady has plenty of qualities beyond that.

He’s scored 3 and assisted 3 more in the Championship this season despite playing almost half of his games from the left-back position.

His crossing ability is exceptional on his day, as is finishing ability, as shown by his starring role for the Republic of Ireland in Euro 2016. He scored two goals in the tournament including the winner in a 1-0 victory over Italy.

It’s that match winning quality that is valuable to Premier League clubs. Brady of course has plenty of experience in the top-flight, spending the 3 seasons previous to this one at Hull and Norwich in the division.

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The Premier League relegation battle is heating up. Just five points separate bottom-placed Sunderland and Middlesbrough in 15th.

The Black Cats share space in the relegation zone with Sam Allardyce’s Crystal Palace and the two teams do battle at Selhurst Park on Saturday in a clash that could go a long way to deciding final standings come the end of May.

The first meeting between the two sides this season was a thrilling match at The Stadium of Light. Sunderland were 2-0 up with just half an hour to go before the Eagles made a storming comeback to nick the three points in stoppage time thanks to a Christian Benteke effort.

David Moyes’ side will be out for revenge for that demoralising loss and bring confidence into the game having held high flying Tottenham Hotspur to a 0-0 draw midweek. Palace, meanwhile, also picked up a good result this week, going to Bournemouth on Tuesday and winning 2-0.

It all sets up a mouth-watering encounter. These are the THREE key battles that will decide this fixture…

Damien Delaney vs. Jermain Defoe

Jermain Defoe is having a wonderful season and if not for him, Sunderland would likely be stranded at the bottom of the Premier League table. The striker has scored 12 goals and assisted twice so far this term, meaning he’s directly contributed to a massive 70% of the Black Cats’ goals.

Delaney, on the other hand, is having a less pleasing season. The 2-0 win at Bournemouth on Tuesday was only his third clean sheet of the campaign and although Palace have conceded less goals than the teams around them, their defence is still a problem area.

Saturday gives Defoe the platform to get back to scoring ways then. He’s failed to net in his last three appearances and will be desperate to stick one away – but up against Delaney and co., he’ll fancy his chances.

Luka Milivojevic vs. Jack Rodwell

An unexpected deadline day signing from Olympiakos, Luka Milivojevic could be in line to make his first start for the Eagles on Saturday. The Serbian international should be match fit and ready to go, having been a regular starter for the Greek club before leaving on Tuesday.

His first test will likely be going up against Sunderland’s Jack Rodwell in a midfield battle that will shape the outcome of the match.

Despite an inconsistent season, Rodwell put in an excellent shift on Wednesday night against Spurs’ excellent midfield of Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama and will be hoping to build on that with another strong display at Selhurst Park.

In Milivojevic, he’ll find an experienced and combative midfielder who is liable to pop up with a goal; the Serbian claimed three in his last ten matches for his former club.

It’s an intriguing, new match-up and Palace fans will be eager to see if their new man has what it takes to keep them in the Premier League.

Patrick van Aanholt vs. Billy Jones

It will be a strange day for Patrick van Aanholt, who made an appearance for Sunderland just two weeks ago. The left-back put in a solid display on his debut away to Bournemouth but will be hoping to further impress his new home fans on Saturday.

The Dutch defender has been stoking the fire in anticipation of this match claiming that his new side are better than his old one.

Quoted by The Daily Star, he said:

“I think we have a better team here at Palace than we did last year – not to be disrespectful to the Sunderland players. Individually we are better, we have a lot of good players here.”

The Black Cats player hoping to show him up at the weekend will likely be right wing-back Billy Jones, one of Sunderland’s top performers against Spurs on Wednesday. The wide man appears to be enjoying Moyes’ 3-5-2 system and has the chance to prove to his former teammate that Sunderland’s quality should not be discounted so easily.

It’s not often a right-back stands out in a 4-0 win, but PSG’s romping of Barcelona earlier this week was anything but a normal game.

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It’s hard to remember a time when the Nou Camp outfit performed so passively on the European stage but to give credit where it’s due, PSG were excellent; Angel di Maria scored two sublime goals, Julian Draxler was a menace all evening, Marco Verratti ran the show from midfield and as previously mentioned, Thomas Meunier was exceptional from right-back.

Neymar was arguably the best of a bad bunch for Barca, but the Belgium international still managed to keep a leash on the South American, completing eight tackles and seven clearances. He also popped up at the other end to supply Edinson Cavani for PSG’s fourth, marauding from defence to slot through the Uruguayan in the penalty area.

“I’ve always said that one day, I would like to play in the Premier League. I’m very happy in Paris and if I finish my career there, it won’t be a disappointment, far from it. But, if one day, I had to leave Paris, why not?

“On the other side of the channel, there are the stadiums, the fans, and I’ve never hidden that I’m a big fan of Manchester United, which remains, in my eyes, the real reference in the world of football.”

And that performance coincided with Meunier revealing his admiration for Manchester United to the Belgian press (translated by The Daily Mail) the morning prior. So with resident right-back Antonio Valencia set to turn 32 before the start of next season, we asked Red Devils fans earlier this week whether Jose Mourinho should launch a transfer bid for the 25-year-old in the summer.

Well, the results of our exclusive poll are now in and as you can see, a staggering 87% want Mourinho to put some money on the table. Would PSG actually sell, however? We’ll have to wait and see.

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Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has revealed his plans for the summer transfer window and is eyeing two or three big additions, The Independent reports.

What’s the word?

Having guided Manchester United to victory in yesterday’s League Cup final, Jose Mourinho already has his sights set on improving his side in the summer for a push for the Premier League next season and a successful campaign in Europe.

The Red Devils remain sixth in the Premier League, despite a remarkable unbeaten run of form, and are two-points behind fourth-placed Arsenal with 12 games to go- whilst they face further competition from Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Liverpool for a Champions League spot.

Given their form, United can be fairly confident of sealing a return to the Champions League for next season and Mourinho is eyeing big additions this summer, having already splashed the cash to bring Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Eric Bailly and Paul Pogba to Old Trafford last summer.

What was said?

Quoted by The Independent, Mourinho said:

“I think with this group of players, with the squad that we have, with the difficulties that we are having during the season, I think we are more than fine and I think that we will be ready in July to open the door to two or three good players to help us improve our level,”

“Because you reach a certain level of stability, you find your way to play, you find your philosophy to play, this is very important and we are doing that with some stability. The team is quite stable in the way the team plays. Then you need one more push and the next push is in the next transfer window.”

Who could be signed?Manchester United’s shopping list is likely to orientate around improving the defence, particularly in the wide areas, but the Red Devils top-target is widely reported to be Atletico Madrid ace Antoine Griezmann- who will cost an empty sum.A host of other names have been linked with a summer switch to Old Trafford- including Atalanta midfielder Franck Kessie, Benfica defender Vincent Lindelof, Southampton’s centre-half Virgil Van Dijk and many others.It’s likely Manchester United’s overall spending will surpass the £100m mark once again this summer, having spent over £150m in 2016, around £124m in 2015 and around £166m in 2014.[ad_pod id=’Shoot-Xmas-Survey’ align=’left’]

Everton had a bid for Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney rejected in January, reports The Mirror.

What’s the word?

In the final few months of 2016 there were rumblings that Toffees manager Ronald Koeman was thinking about making a move for Rooney.

Now, The Mirror confirms that the 31-year-old’s former club tried to get him back in January, but the Red Devils knocked them back.

On Thursday, Rooney released a statement insisting that he is staying at United, which dispelled rumours that he could join a Chinese Super League club before next week’s deadline in the Far East.

It does not, however, mean that the forward will not depart from the 20-time English champions in the season.

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Is a return to Everton realistic?

Moving back to Goodison Park would give Rooney a better chance of regular first-team football.

The England skipper has started just eight Premier League games under Jose Mourinho and has scored five goals in all competitions.

Despite recently becoming United’s all-time leading scorer, it seems clear that Rooney will not figure prominently under the Portuguese coach.

There is no guarantee that the forward would be the first name on the teamsheet at Everton, but having the calibre of Rooney in their ranks could be the difference between sealing European football or missing out.

Of course, the Liverpool-born player does not have the dynamism or quality that he once possessed, but at 31 he is still capable of a meaningful contribution.

A sticking point for Rooney, though, could be wages. He is thought to be on a mammoth salary at Old Trafford, but he will not be offered close to that at Everton.

It would be a fitting ending for the attacker if he were to return to his boyhood club for the final years of his career, so it might be worth taking a pay cut to fulfil that.

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If the first leg at the Etihad Stadium is anything to go by, Monaco’s Champions League clash with Manchester City on Wednesday night should be an absolute cracker.

Last month produced an eight-goal thriller in Manchester as Pep Guardiola’s side went 3-2 down but managed to overturn the deficit to boast a two-goal lead for the return leg later this week.

Although they came away trailing on aggregate, Monaco’s brave attacking performance, coupled with the copious young stars involved, has pushed the side to the forefront of attention around the continent and lead to plenty of speculation over the futures of their biggest talents.

With that in mind and another goal-fest seemingly inevitable, we asked Chelsea fans earlier this week to vote for which Monaco stars their Blues compatriots should be keeping an eye out for.

The results are now in, so here’s a rundown of the top three…

3. Valere Germain

One of the less obvious stars of Monaco’s free-scoring squad, Valere Germain featured only from the bench against City at the Etihad Stadium and isn’t considered to be one of Leonardo Jardim’s biggest talents – uncapped for France at the age of 26.

Nonetheless, the forward has proved a useful partner to Radamel Falcao this term, netting nine times in Ligue 1, and with his contract due to expire at the end of next season, he could prove to be a bit of a bargain if the Blues unexpectedly swoop this summer.

2. Tiemoue Bakayoko

Tiemoue Bakayoko will be disappointed with his contributions against Manchester City last month, failing to protect a backline that conceded five times at the Etihad Stadium.

However, the 22-year-old holding midfielder has been earning rave reviews all season and is a crucial figure for Monaco at the base of the engine room, some even comparing him to the Citizens’ Yaya Toure.

Powerful, quick and a real menace when running with the ball, the Frenchman seems like a future Premier League star in the making.

1. Bernardo Silva

Attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva ranked top in our poll, perhaps due to the fact Chelsea are already in talks to sign him according to recent reports from The Times.

A tricky No.10 who likes to move inside from wide positions, the Portugal international would be perfect for the right forward role in Chelsea’s front three, offering a similar kind of service to Eden Hazard on the other flank.

The 22-year-old hasn’t always made his mark in the Champions League this term, but seven goals and six assists in 28 Ligue 1 outings highlights the impact he can have from attacking midfield.

Results

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