Wounded Arsenal too lame to bother United

Tomorrow, the Emirates Stadium will host the clash between Arsenal and league leaders Manchester United.

The Gunners’ title hopes are all but over following the 2-1 defeat to Bolton but Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal boss, vowed that despite the debacle at the Reebok Stadium, which left them nine points adrift of United, his players will keep fighting till the end.

But United look strong and still in charge of this season’s title race. They currently lead nearest rivals Chelsea by six points with only four matches to go.

Perhaps, a point in north London could suit Alex Ferguson’s men as they look to wrap up a record 19th league title.

Should the Gunners end the season without a trophy, their sixth in a row, it would be interesting to see what excuses Wenger will come up with this time. The Gunners came agonisingly close to winnng a trophy this term only to go down to modest Birmingham in the League Cup final.

Wenger admitted he was the one to blame for his side’s failures, adding he would never change his approach despite another barren year.

In the corresponding first-round fixture, Manchester United beat Arsenal 1-0 with Park Ji-Sung grabbing the winner. The two sides also met at Old Trafford in the FA Cup quarter-finals with the hosts again coming out on top 2-0.

In the all-time league record, United lead Arsenal 75-66 in terms of wins with the remaining 66 encounters ending in a draw.

In midweek, United produced an impressive performance in the Champions League semi-finals when they beat Schalke 04 2-0 in Germany to put themselves in a commanding position ahead of next week’s second leg.

At Chelsea, Fernando Torres has finally broke his duck after netting his first goal for the Blues in 15 matches in his team’s 3-0 win over West Ham.

That victory lifted the Blues into second place. With a direct clash away at United coming up, Carlo Ancelotti’s men could still have a say in the final destination of this year’s title race.

This afternoon, Chelsea face another stern test when they host Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.

In December, the two London teams met at Tottenham’s White Hart Lane with the match ending in a 1-1 draw.

Manchester City, boosted by their 1-0 win at Blackburn, return to home comforts tomorrow when they entertain West Ham at Eastlands.

The Citizens are hopeful that Carlos Tevez will recover in time for the FA Cup final against Stoke on May 14.

Liverpool, buoyed by the 5-0 thrashing of Birmingham, will again be at Anfield to host Newcastle. Against the Brummies, two players, who had been out of the reckoning for months, returned for Liverpool as Maxi Rodriguez netted a hat-trick and Joe Cole scored his second goal of the season.

Meanwhile, troubled Blackpool take on Stoke at Bloomfield Road.

The Blackpool fans voted David Vaughan as their ‘Player of the Year’ ahead of skipper Charlie Adam, who will probably seek pastures new next season.

A Midlands derby in the offing tomorrow is the bash between Birmingham and Wolves who are both struggling to keep their head above water and sustain their Premier League status.

The two sides’ remaining fixtures are: Birmingham − Newcastle away, Fulham home and Tottenham away. Wolves − West Brom home, Sunderland away and Blackburn home.

Fixtures and forecast

Premier League

Blackburn-Bolton - X
Blackpool-Stoke-  X
Chelsea-Tottenham (18:30) - X
Sunderland-Fulham - 1
West Brom-Aston Villa - X
Wigan-Everton - X

Tomorrow:
Arsenal-Man. United (15:05) - X
Birmingham-Wolves (13:00) - X
Liverpool-Newcastle (13:00) - 1
Man. City-West Ham (17:10) - 1

Standings: Man. United 73; Chelsea 67; Arsenal 64; Man. City 59; Tottenham 55; Liverpool 52; Everton 47; Bolton 46; Fulham, Stoke 42; Newcastle, Sunderland, Aston Villa 41; West Brom 40; Birmingham 38; Blackburn 35; Blackpool, Wigan 34; Wolves 33; West Ham 32.

The Championship

Coventry-Reading - X
Derby-Bristol City - 1
Doncaster-Leicester - X
Hull-Crystal Palace - 1
Ipswich-Preston - 1
Leeds-Burnley (13:45) - X
Millwall-Swansea - 1
Nottm Forest-Scunthorpe - 1
Sheffield United-Barnsley - 1
Watford-QPR - 2

Monday:
Cardiff-Middlesbrough (18:15) - 1
Portsmouth-Norwich (20:45) - 2

Hot Four
Ipswich Town
Nottingham Forest
Milton Keynes Dons
Gillingham