FERGUSON RELISHES NEXT CHAPTER IN ARSENAL RIVALRY
MANCHESTER (Reuters) - Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is relishing the
next instalment of his side's power struggle with fierce rivals Arsenal in the
FA Cup final on Saturday. Until the emergence of Chelsea as a super-power under
Jose Mourinho, the rivalry between United and Arsenal had dominated English
football for the better part of a decade. The two will spend the summer
plotting how to close the gap on the new Premier League champions but before
that they lock horns at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, both side's last
chance to win a major trophy this season. "If you look at what's been happening
for the last 10 years you will see Manchester United and Arsenal have been
competing for the trophies all the time," said Ferguson. "It's been going for a
long time and it's been an incredible, fantastic competition between two great
clubs and it won't be any different on Saturday," he told a news conference.
"It will be competitive. They are competitive -- they are not
lilywhites -- and we will be. "But it should be a great game because there are
enough great players on that field from both teams to make it a great cup final
and hopefully we'll see that on Saturday." The intense rivalry between the
clubs and their managers, who between them have inspired eight FA Cup final
triumphs, has spilled over in recent games to clashes on and off the pitch.
United and Ferguson have often found a way to unsettle Arsenal and their
manager Arsene Wenger, giving the northern club an impressive recent record
against the Gunners. There have been flashpoints before, during and after games
between the two teams this season, with United's two league wins doing much to
dent Arsenal's prospects of success domestically and in Europe. 'FEISTY START'
However, Ferguson believes ill-discipline will not be a problem in the last
final at the Millennium Stadium, when Rob Styles -- who has shown 65 yellow
cards and seven reds in 23 premier league games this season -- takes
charge. "I am not concerned about the referee," Ferguson said. "The early
parts of the game will be feisty, as they were at Highbury and Old Trafford.
"You have to remember (the players) are human beings, it's a cup final and
there will be some nerves in the early part of the match. Once the game settles
down I think it will be fine." Both sides have had their plans disrupted by
injuries with United set to be without left back Gabriel Heinze and facing a
late fitness check on right back Gary Neville. Despite Arsenal's assertion that
Thierry Henry will not play because of an Achilles problem, Ferguson says he is
planning for the presence of the Gunners' leading scorer until he sees the
opposition team sheet. But United are sure to have their strongest strike force
available with Ferguson delighted to see Ruud van Nistelrooy approaching a
return to his best form with four goals in his last four games following an
injury hit season. "Over the years he has been here, he has been the
most outstanding striker in Europe. He's phenomenal and there have been signs
in the last two or three games that he's coming back," Ferguson said. "He is
the one striker who loves just scoring. The only thing he is interested in is
scoring a goal so scoring these goals in the last two or three games can only
have helped him. I hope Saturday further demonstrates his abilities."
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