Per Mertesacker: 'I think most important are the duels in midfield, around Marouane Fellaini'

Published: 14 May, 2015
by STEVE BARNETT

PER Mertesacker says controlling the midfield will be the key to Arsenal’s chances of getting a result at Old Trafford on Sunday. 

The Gunners will be confident they can win away at Manchester United again having come out on top in a pulsating FA Cup quarter-final tie in March.

Mertesacker insists the players are looking to put in a similar performance this weekend. “We won at Old Trafford once and it’s possible to do that twice per season,” the centre back said. 

“We are looking forward to it. It’ll be a massive crowd again and they will have respect for us. We are in a good mood and have a good level of confidence. 

“I think most important are the duels in midfield, around Marouane Fellaini. Francis Coquelin did really well last time. I think that is a major part of their game so we need to try to control this like we did last time.

“It’s obviously not going to be easy,” Mertesacker added. 

“They will want to keep the ball as much as possible. Can we restrict it? Can we get the ball in their half and break? That is what we did last time and we did really well.”

The Gunners can take a major step towards securing a top-three place with victory at Old Trafford, and Mertesacker says avoiding a Champions League play-off is a big target. 

“It would be very important because, when you look at the schedule, the break will not be that much,” he said. 

“I think, even for non-international players, it is pretty weird. And we have a couple of under-21 players, a couple at the Copa America, I think, so it will again be a tight schedule, so we’ll try to really avoid that.”