Man Utd v Arsenal and Juventus v Roma take centre stage, while Carling Cup openers could see an upset or two
The top two clash in both England and Italy this weekend, with Manchester United taking on Arsenal in the Premiership and Juventus and Roma putting their 100 per cent records on the line in Serie A.
United and Arsenal meet for the second time in six weeks following their 1-1 draw in the Community Shield and come into the game closely matched again with Arsenal leading by a point in the table. The clash is likely to hinge on the performance of Arsenal's defence, which has been exposed over the past week in their 3-0 humiliation by Inter Milan in the Champions League and their somewhat fortuitous 1-1 draw against Portsmouth - both at Highbury.
Lack of defensive cover ultimately cost Arsenal the title last season and, while they may get away with errors against lesser teams, they are likely to be punished by United, who have hit 10 goals without reply in three home games this season. It is worth noting that Arsenal's last three wins at Old Trafford have all been based on keeping a clean sheet, which looks unlikely this time.
While it is true that Arsenal are set up as a counter-attacking away team and their recent setbacks should produce a backlash, the pressure is intensified by the fact that the next month could make or break their season. Their next five matches are two tricky away games in the Champions League and Premiership clashes with Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle - giving United the perfect incentive to turn up the heat on their biggest rivals. United are fancied to win by two goals.
The champions also host the league leaders in Italy tomorrow, with Juventus at home to Roma in another mouthwatering clash. The two teams are separated by goal difference after only two games and, while their big-name attacks already appear to be firing on all cylinders, this should be a close match as they have been separated by more than one goal only once in their last nine meetings. There have been five draws in that period and another would not be a surprise, but Juventus may just have the edge.
