Arsenal need Manchester derby winner but United or City?

Usually when there is a game going one between two of our big Premier League rivals, it means that Arsenal would prefer the game to end in a draw and that way both of our rivals drop points, but I do not think that is the case tonight as we await the Manchester derby.

The reason for that is that both Man City and United are currently above us in the table and points for both will just make it even harder for Arsenal to get that top four finish that we and other fans have been so dismissive about for years but now that it looks hard to reach we really want.

Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola will both want to win, of course, to boost their own top four hopes as well as getting one over their managerial competitor, but they will also realise that a point is not too bad so we have to hope the competitive streak and the wish to inflict a big blow on the other triumphs over caution and logic to make an open game that one of them wins.

United are the closest to Arsenal at the minute, just three points ahead, and we also play them at home next weekend, so for me a City win tonight would be better, especially with Mourinho having to cope with a lot of injury problems as well as the extra Europa League matches.

If they lose tonight he might just prioritise the game against Celta Vigo on Thursday ahead of their trip to north London next Sunday as winning the old UEFA cup would be their best chance of a Champions League spot next season.

While that would be ideal I would not really mind a City loss either as it would give us a chance to close the gap to one point with the same games played and things would get very interesting indeed.