That saliva-inducing encounter is preceded by Manchester City against bottom-of-the-table Portsmouth while on Saturday there are seven fixtures taking place, including leaders Chelsea's trip to Burnley and Liverpool at home to Bolton Wanderers.
Premier League champions Manchester United will be doubly thankful to Wayne Rooney for his injury-time winner during midweek for it not only booked their place in the Carling Cup final but excused them from extra-time ahead of their visit to North London. Thirty more minutes of what was a committed game could have cost Sir Alex Ferguson's men dear as the club look to keep pace with leaders Chelsea, who climbed back to the summit on Wednesday. For Arsenal, their draw at Aston Villa was no poor result - remember, the Midlanders have beaten Liverpool, United and Chelsea already this season - but victory over the Red Devils at home is vital if Arsene Wenger's shuffling of the FA Cup pack is to prove vindicated. Also, revenge might be on their minds after their Old Trafford loss earlier this term.
On Sunday lunchtime Manchester City will be pining for a pick-me-up after suffering the heartbreak of a late exit from the Carling Cup, as a first final appearance since 1981 eluded them. Roberto Mancini was notably, and understandably, gutted post the final whistle, but it is his job to rally his troops for their home meeting with Portsmouth. City are boosted by the returns of key personnel and should consider this game a certain three-point haul as they look continue their fight for fourth place. Pompey battled back for a home point with West Ham during midweek, but they still remain rooted to the foot of the table. Success here would surely be something of a miracle, so Avram Grant would doubtless bite your hand off if you offered him an Eastlands draw ahead of a midweek trip to Fulham.
On Saturday, table-toppers Chelsea head North West to tackle Burnley, who are seeking a first top-flight win since Halloween 2009. The game marks Brian Laws' first encounter in charge of the Clarets at Turf Moor, and he will be hoping to call upon some of the early-season spirit which made their home ground a feared place to visit. Burnley have beaten United on their own Lancashire patch while they also held Arsenal - said sides would love nothing more than an upset for Chelsea this weekend. But the Blues are in rampant form, having routed Sunderland and then swept aside in-form Birmingham, and all this without their African contingent. Victory for the Blues would hand them a four-point lead over United.
Liverpool welcome Bolton to Anfield off the back of a very forgettable 0-0 stalemate at Wolves. Rafa Benitez's men lie fifth in the standings, three points behind Tottenham, and will be wary of City, who lurk on the same points total while also boasting two games in hand. There has been much, much talk of a corner being turned on Merseyside, so a home win over the Trotters will be considered a prerequisite. Bolton won their first game under new manager Owen Coyle on Tuesday, so the side's tails should be up. That result moved them a point away from the relegation zone. Coyle will look to upset the odds at Liverpool, but it is worth noting that when he took Burnley there earlier this season, his former team suffered a heavy 4-0 loss.
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