Defeat would leave Arsenal 13 points behind Sir Alex Ferguson's team, a forlorn situation even with a game in hand. Wenger's side have lost their past two Premiership matches at Old Trafford, including the infamous "Battle of the Buffet" in October 2004 when their long unbeaten league run ended.

Wenger claimed Reyes was "kicked off the park" that day but the slightly built Rosicky is not afraid of what his inaugural taste of the occasion might bring. The teams' past few meetings have been relatively tame, with United largely holding the upper hand, but Rosicky anticipates a bruising match. He recalls the ugly scenes in 2003 provoked by Arsenal's reaction to a penalty miss by Ruud van Nistelrooy.

"I know it will be physical at Old Trafford," Rosicky said. "I remember the game at Old Trafford with what happened with Van Nistelrooy. Everyone remembers that one. I'm looking forward to it. I know it will be tough but I said when I joined Arsenal that you will never see me jump when the tackles come in. I'm not as strong as some but I'm not scared either."

The 25-year-old emphasised after Wednesday's win at Hamburg that he had been aware what to expect when he left Borussia Dortmund in May. "England is tough, more physical," he said. "I knew it would be very physical and I was prepared for that.

"I played in Germany and I'm used to that. I had a very hard time in Germany at the start of my career because teams would play with a man-marker on me and it was difficult, so it was good preparation for England. The Manchester United game will be very difficult for us. We haven't started well in the Premier League but I hope this win will make us more confident and then we can win at Manchester."