Religious doctrine states that pride is a sin, worthy of damnation and an eternity in hell. The dictionary is a little bit fluffier about things but even so, Pride looms large on the horizon this weekend.

It seems only yesterday that Wenger and Ferguson were locked in battle, a la Wolverine and Sabretooth, but the recent match-ups in Europe have tricked people into thinking that it will be an Arsenal team of kittens that shows up at Old Trafford today. I have a sneaking suspicion that is not the case.

Arsene Wenger has proven to be a man who can both win and lose with dignity and I do think that his teams have class. He is not, however, a loser. It is just possible that with Arshavin, who is yet to play against our defence, Arsenal could put in a performance today and send me back to the realm of sleepless nights.

You would think that the Arsenal players are already on the beach in their minds but if Wenger can motivate them then they are a real handful. In all honesty, when I had wiped the sweat off my brow on Wednesday I thought we were poor. Perhaps even lucky. This game will be no walk in the park.

In general if you need a win at home to clinch the title you tend to get it but this is Manchester United. For all of the joy and glory there is also a lot of suffering. If we can navigate this fixture without any fuss I will be surprised, relieved and overjoyed. But if we do, somebody else’s pride will take an almighty fall.