After settling one score with Liverpool, Manchester United will attempt to bury the memory of its most painful defeat of recent seasons when it tackles champions Arsenal at Old Trafford today.
When the English game's two most successful clubs of the last decade met in May, United suffered a painful 1-0 defeat in front of their own fans that cost them their Premier League crown.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger described the moment as marking "a shift in power" in the English game, a conclusion borne out this season, with his record-breaking team again leading the title race.
Today offers United a timely opportunity to sow some serious doubt in the Londoners' minds.
The title itself is not quite at stake yet, but today's encounter could have a huge bearing on its destiny. If United lose, they will be a yawning nine points behind Arsenal going into the frenetic festive season.
Should they win, the gap will be trimmed to a manageable three points -- and Alex Ferguson's side are certainly in the mood.
Last Saturday's 2-1 win at Liverpool ended their run of five straight defeats by Gerard Houllier's side.
United have also lost their last three encounters with Arsenal. But with five wins and a draw from the last six matches, Ferguson's team appear to have found a way to live with their crippling injury list.
In May midfielder Roy Keane was United's only real inspiration on a night when Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy was strangely rested and his replacement Diego Forlan proved utterly inadequate alongside Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in attack.
Today will be very different, with Keane grinding his teeth on the sidelines as he recovers from his hip surgery. Van Nistelrooy is back in form and Forlan has suddenly discovered the art of goalscoring in a United shirt.
The Uruguayan netted both goals against Liverpool and was on target again in Tuesday's League Cup win over Burnley -- a glut unthinkable a few weeks ago when he was marooned in a 26-game barren spell.
Ferguson has problems in midfield, with Nicky Butt definitely out. David Beckham may return following his rib injury and Juan Sebastian Veron, who has been suffering from influenza, could also play.
In defense Rio Ferdinand is close to fitness after his thigh strain and fellow center back Frenchman Laurent Blanc could also return, although both will have a job ousting Wes Brown, who has been excellent in recent games.
Neither Van Nistelrooy, with eight goals in his last seven outings, nor Forlan are quite as hot as Arsenal hitman Thierry Henry, who has netted five outstanding goals in his last two matches.
The France striker's treble against AS Roma last Wednesday was one of the finest hat-tricks seen in the Champions League.
Last Saturday's deadball double against Aston Villa was evidence that, when it comes to striking a football sweetly, Henry has few peers.
However, Arsenal's current superiority over United stems from their squad strength and they have not missed the likes of David Seaman, Ray Parlour, Nwankwo Kanu and Lauren in recent weeks.
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Robinson Cano spent 17 seasons playing in the MLB in front of all kinds of baseball fans, but he said there is something special about his stint with the Mexican Baseball League’s Diablos Rojos. He is not alone. The league last week opened its 100th season, aiming to keep an impressive growth in attendance that began after the national team’s surprise run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and is already surpassing some first-division soccer clubs. After finishing third in the 2023 tournament, many casual fans, some of them soccer enthusiasts disappointed after Mexico were eliminated in the first round in the 2022
In-form teenager Mirra Andreeva on Thursday crashed out of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, after going down in straight sets to fellow Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in the last 16. World No. 7 Andreeva, who already has two titles under her belt this season, lost 6-3, 6-2 against the 22nd-ranked Alexandrova in just over an hour. The 17-year-old Andreeva had defeated her elder sister Erika in the previous round on Wednesday, but Alexandrova quickly took control as she claimed her fourth win over a top-10 player this season. The 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva in February became the youngest winner of a WTA
RSS