Arsenal star Per Mertesacker has pinpointed Manchester United ace Marouane Fellaini as their main threat before the pair face each other on Sunday, reports the Daily Star.
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The German has also claimed that Francis Coquelin will be key again in nullifying the Belgian’s influence on the game. When the rivals played each other in the FA Cup in February the Gunners won 1-2 at Old Trafford with the Frenchman playing brilliantly.
The24-year-old will have to play well again on the weekend if the North London club are to leave Manchester with a victory again. Although the Red Devils lost three matches in a row before scraping past Crystal Palace last week they are still a formidable side.
A lot of this is down to the turn around that Fellaini has gone through during the campaign. The 27-year-old struggled under David Moyes in his debut season, but new boss Louis van Gaal has moved him further forward on the pitch and seen his performances improve. Six goals, including an important winner against the Eagles last Saturday, have proved his importance to United.
Mertesacker claims the main battle will be in the middle of the park with the former Everton man: “Francis did really well last time. The most important are the duels in midfield, around Fellaini. That is a major part of their game.
“We need to try to control this. It’s not going to be easy. They obviously 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. We are feeling positive. We won there once and it’s possible to do that twice per season.”