Man Utd v Arsenal preview - Nani and Ferdinand out; Fabregas and Szczesny missing

Berbatov and Van Persie: Head to head

Arsenal head to Manchester United for their FA Cup quarter-final in a clash where both teams have something to prove after bad weeks.

The Gunners were defeated by Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, where despite scoring courtesy of a Sergio Busquets own goal, were comprehensively outplayed and beaten 3-1 without registering a single shot at goal.

Following their Carling Cup final defeat to Birmingham at the end of February, it leaves the Premier League and the FA Cup as Arsene Wenger's only targets to finally end their six-year trophy drought this season.

Despite not playing in the Champions League this week, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will be desperate to silence the doubters and get back to winning ways against the most realistic challengers to their lead in the league.

Arsenal sit just three points back with a game in hand on their old rivals and victory for either team in the cup at Old Trafford could give them the psychological edge in the race for the title.

It has been a chastening week for United, with the Red Devils well beaten in a highly charged North West derby against Liverpool at Anfield last Sunday, where they lost 3-1.

The club opted to impose a media blackout following the encounter, with Ferguson only breaking his silence on Wednesday, keeping his comments to a minimum while he faces an FA reprimand over his words about referee Martin Atkinson following their 2-1 at Chelsea five days before the Liverpool clash.

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