Not so long ago, Manchester United and Arsenal was the go-to game in the Premier League, with both going for the title and Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger sworn enemies.
In recent years, with the decline of both teams, games between them have lost their intensity, but Sunday at Old Trafford could be a throwback to those epic battles of the past.
Arsenal go to Old Trafford top of the table, with the only 100 per cent record in the Premier League, while United will be looking to continue their revival by making it four wins in a row.
The two sides are unlikely to be title contenders this season, but the fixture is a huge showdown in the battle for a top-four place, which is what both teams are realistically aiming for. For me, this is a game where you play your big players, so if I was Erik ten Hag, I would start Cristiano Ronaldo and Casemiro. Ronaldo's impact, when he came on in United's 1-0 win at Leicester, was fantastic, and he will want to start against Arsenal. Casemiro brings authority and composure, and United will need that against Arsenal, who are flying high.
When I did my predictions for the season, I had Arsenal fifth and United sixth. But you would say, the way Arsenal have started and the way United have played their last three games, both will be convinced they can get back into the top-four and the Champions League.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Ten Hag pick Ronaldo? Let us know in the comments section
Rodgers' biggest challenge
I feel for Brendan Rodger s at Leicester, who are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League with a solitary point after five games. The recruitment at Leicester over recent years has been remarkable, but their failure to strengthen the squad over the summer has come back to bite them. They've signed so many players the so-called bigger clubs wouldn't have even looked at, then sold them on for a huge profits, allowing Leicester to benefit financially as a club.
You look at the likes of N'Golo Kante, Harry Maguire and, in this window, Wesley Fofana, who was sold to Chelsea for £70m. But I know Rodgers would have liked to have been able to use the money generated to bring in quality replacements, but that's not been possible. Against that backdrop, I think he's facing arguably his biggest challenge as a manager. He's got to find a way of lifting his players and the fans at the King Power Stadium, to get them going. In the 1-0 defeat to United, there was no atmosphere at the stadium, there was an air of despondency about the place, and that will be reflected in the dressing-room.
Players like James Maddison and Youri Tielemans, who could have moved, have seen Fofana go to a Champions League club and they are still there, struggling at the foot of the table. Who knows what will happen with Rodgers? Will he get the chance to turn things around? What I do think is that Leicester have a far better chance of staying up with him in charge than anyone else.
Klopp is right
Time-wasting was brought to the fore this week, with Jurgen Klopp criticising Newcastle's delaying tactics in Liverpool's last-gasp 2-1 win at Anfield. I have to say, though, I have sympathy with Klopp. We all want to see the ball in play for as long as possible, not players trying to run down the clock and waste time to see out a game. Teams who want to attack and win the game, like Liverpool did, will be frustrated by opponents who want to hold on to what they have got and try every trick in the book to do just that. You feel sorry for the fans, for the spectacle as a whole, but you can understand why some teams do it.
At Macclesfield, we lose, on average, 10 minutes in each half because of teams time-wasting, because they have come to play us with the sole intention of drawing the game. What I can't understand, though, is that when the board goes up for five additional minutes, the officials then play an extra three minutes on top of that, as was the case at Anfield. That doesn't add up and needs to be explained by those in charge.
