It's arguably one of the great English top-flight battles of recent times, even if the Red Devils have long been knocked off their perch; they still remain, along with the Gunners, one of the most storied clubs in world football.
Another false dawn at Man Utd?
What makes this particular encounter all the more intriguing is that Mikel Arteta's side are beginning to pull away at the top, whilst Michael Carrick's squad showed everyone what they were capable of against Manchester City last time out.
United had a togetherness and fighting spirit that was rarely seen under Ruben Amorim, and the scoreline actually flattered Pep Guardiola's side, given how many United goals were disallowed.
That should give the Old Trafford faithful some hope of finishing the season well, at least. As long as it isn't another false dawn at the Theatre of Dreams, of course.
It shouldn't be overlooked that when United beat Liverpool in the FA Cup during Erik ten Hag's tenure, they failed to win the following six games, whilst the victory at Anfield earlier this season was the precursor to another poor run of one win in four games.
Not to mention that Amorim won his first Manchester derby before losing four games in succession.
Arsenal are unbeaten in 12 games
Given that Arsenal are unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions, they are going to be the toughest of nuts to crack.
If Carrick sets his team up well, however, a 0-0 draw - which would definitely feel like a point gained for United - would be a third goalless league encounter in succession for the Gunners, and further hinder their abilities to put real daylight between them and the chasing pack.
Not since 2009 have the North Londoners played out three consecutive 0-0 draws, and in a sign of their own defensive excellence, they didn't concede a single shot on target in the previous two stalemates recently.
Another tight game will be expected, though, given that collectively, no more than two goals have been scored in the fixture (in competitive matches) since Arsenal's 3-1 win in September 2023, a match most notable for Declan Rice's first goal for the club.
Carrick has already beaten Arsenal as United's manager
15 wins and two draws at the Emirates Stadium since May 2025 puts the visitors' task in perspective, as does United's away record, which hasn't seen them get a victory on the road since a win at Wolverhampton Wanderers back in December.
Carrick won't be overwhelmed, being a playing veteran of previous Arsenal vs United clashes, and indeed, as caretaker manager in 2021, he remained unbeaten, with one of those games against the Gunners.
Not to mention that the visitors are finally building up a head of steam in 2025/26, and are on a five-game unbeaten run in the Premier League (W2, D3).
Furthermore, since Amorim's departure, United's 41 total shots and 17 shots on target are more than any other English top-flight side in that time frame.
Arsenal have won the last four league encounters with the Red Devils at the Emirates, and are unbeaten in the last six head-to-heads, including at Old Trafford, but United have never gone seven games against them without a win before.
A victory for the visitors would be their first against Arteta's men in the league since September 2022, and would almost certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons in the title race if Man City were able to beat Wolves, and Aston Villa could overcome Newcastle at St. James' Park.
Saka's long lean run
Bukayo Saka is on one of the leanest goal-scoring runs of his career, having not netted for the past 12 matches.
That's despite having more total shots than his teammates (47) and more shots on target (20). He has, however, also created 40 chances, which is why he remains a shoo-in for the Gunners' starting XI.
Thankfully, Leandro Trossard and Viktor Gyokeres have weighed in with five goals each this season, and Rice has four, so goals can, and have, come from all areas.
For Gyokeres in particular, however, he needs to do much, much more in games to convince. Being hooked early by Arteta in every match since Arsenal played Crystal Palace back in October tells its own story.
Mbeumo and Bruno the danger men for United
Bryan Mbeumo has been the main man in terms of goals for United, having scored seven in the league to date, including a superb opener against Man City, assisted by the talismanic Bruno Fernandes.
It was the ninth assist of the season for the Red Devils captain, the most in the division in 25/26, and as if to further evidence his importance to United's progression, his 62 chances created this season are also the best-in-class.
Not to mention the five goals he's also weighed in with, which places him just behind Mbeumo.
It might surprise many that the visitors are leading the way in the Premier League for total shots (362) and shots on target (126) this season, too.
Their 38 goals scored are only two behind Arsenal's 40, but their conversion rate of just 14% places them 16th out of all 20 sides in this regard.
Arsenal's 11 clean sheets already in 25/26 are more than any of their English top-flight opponents, whilst a solid 85% collective pass completion hints at Arteta's style of play.
We should expect fireworks in the second half as Arsenal are at their most potent just after the break, whilst United often come into their own in the final quarter hour.
Neither side has lost this season when scoring the first goal of the game, either, so both managers will understand how vital it is to make that breakthrough.
In terms of injuries, only Max Dowman is definitely missing for the Gunners, while Riccardo Calafiori (scorer of the winner at Old Trafford earlier in the season) and Piero Hincapie are back in training and might feature.
This game also comes just a little too quickly for Noussair Mazraoui and United's Dutch pair of Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee.
