Less than two weeks after their Champions League disappointment, Arsenal travel to Old Trafford to face their Semi-Final conquerors Man United. This season Arsenal.com will be identifying the key battles for the game. We will bring you all the statistics and information a fan could need so swot up now and come Saturday you will be impressing anyone who will listen with your new-found knowledge
Nemanja Vidic v Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie might get the nod in Arsenal’s attack at Old Trafford. If so, he could come up against the imposing figure of Nemanja Vidic. The Serbian, who was selected in this season’s Premier League best XI, hasn’t missed a kick of United’s last six outings and should retain his place on Saturday. Van Persie is the Gunners’ overall topscorer this season and the Dutchman has nine Premier League assists to boot. But Vidic, who has completed the most passes in the Man United squad this season, boasts a remarkable 79 per cent success rate in the tackles in addition to 54 clearances.
| Nemanja Vidic | Robin van Persie | |
| Appearances | 32 | 26 |
| Minutes played | 2816 | 2033 |
| Assists | 1 | 9 |
| Clearances | 54 | 4 |
| Unsuccessful dribbles | 2 | 6 |
| Successful dribbles | 3 | 8 |
| Goals scored | 4 | 9 |
| Complete passes | 149 | 95 |
| Incomplete passes | 53 | 52 |
| Shots off target | 11 | 47 |
| Shots on target | 13 | 44 |
| Woodwork struck | 1 | 5 |
| Tackles lost | 6 | 12 |
| Tackles won | 22 | 4 |
John O'Shea v Samir Nasri
John O’Shea has been the unsung hero of Manchester United’s rock-solid defence this season and he looks set to feature on Saturday lunchtime. His opponent could be Samir Nasri who has spent a lot of this season on the left of Arsenal’s midfield. The Irish defender matches Nasri in the assist stakes and boasts a solid 80 per cent tackling success rate. On the other hand, the French Gunner, who of course scored that match-winning brace against the champions in November, has dribbling and shooting success over 75 per cent of the time
| John O'Shea | Samir Nasri | |
| Appearances | 28 | 28 |
| Minutes played | 1803 | 2336 |
| Assists | 2 | 2 |
| Unsuccessful crosses | 10 | 31 |
| Successful crosses | 1 | 4 |
| Unsuccessful dribbles | 0 | 7 |
| Successful dribbles | 3 | 23 |
| Goals scored | 0 | 6 |
| Complete passes | 105 | 127 |
| Incomplete passes | 53 | 75 |
| Shots off target | 1 | 8 |
| Shots on target | 4 | 27 |
| Tackles lost | 3 | 18 |
| Tackles won | 12 | 9 |
Dimitar Berbatov v Kolo Toure
Dimitar Berbatov’s first season at Old Trafford may not have hit the heady heights some anticipated, but his nine goals and 10 assists are not to be sniffed at. Kolo Toure will probably be the man charged with stopping the gifted Bulgarian on Saturday and he has racked up a tackling success rate just shy of 90 per cent - the best in the Arsenal squad. The Ivorian has the better passing record of the two but, unsurprisingly, takes a hit in the dribbling stakes.
| Dimitar Berbatov | Kolo Toure | |
| Appearances | 30 | 27 |
| Minutes played | 2454 | 2100 |
| Assists | 10 | 1 |
| Unsuccessful dribbles | 11 | 5 |
| Successful dribbles | 23 | 8 |
| Goals scored | 9 | 1 |
| Offsides | 18 | 1 |
| Own goals | 0 | 1 |
| Complete passes | 122 | 111 |
| Incomplete passes | 72 | 44 |
| Shots off target | 14 | 9 |
| Shots on target | 29 | 11 |
| Tackles lost | 14 | 2 |
| Tackles won | 11 | 17 |
