Soccer/Premiership: Alex Ferguson has noted with a certain satisfaction that Arsene Wenger, having stated he would never again answer questions about Manchester United's manager, has repeatedly done so.

The Scot has backed away from making provocative comments before tonight's match, but it is clear he will lead his team to Highbury believing they can take the moral high ground.

Subtlety has never been Ferguson's strongest point and his intentions were clear as he spoke at length about United's impressive disciplinary record. By implication, the point he was trying to make is that Arsenal have been to blame for many of the unsavoury incidents that have tarnished the fixture over the past decade.

"I've no fears about there being any problems and that's because my players behave themselves properly," he said. "They always do. They have a good discipline record and that requires good discipline within themselves and from the management of the club."

Though he recognised that there is "something unusual" about the build-up to this fixture, Ferguson rejected any notion that the caustic atmosphere would unsettle his players. This is a side which attract hostility wherever they go and the Scot does not regard Highbury as one of the more voluble grounds in the country.

"In terms of hostility our boys have faced far more hostile atmospheres," he said. "When you go to Anfield, Liverpool versus Manchester United, and they play that song You'll Never Walk Alone the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and it really gets you motivated. And as for Leeds United at Elland Road . . . deary me!"

Ferguson's primary concern is the 11-point gap with Chelsea at the top.

"Football is a game which can defy all your optimism and we will keep on chasing Chelsea until we can't catch them. You have to hope that the disaster of all disasters happens and they collapse. I'm not managing the right club if I don't think like that."

Wenger, meanwhile, has called on the players to repair the damage caused by October's tempestuous Premiership encounter at Old Trafford when they meet tonight.

Despite the high stakes for this match, Wenger believes the football on offer should be attractive.

"I would say spontaneously the losers are out of the title race - and if Chelsea win at Blackburn the next day then definitely they are out of it," said Wenger. "It's a massive game for both teams, but sometimes these games are very tight and others are open. You just don't know.

"The disappointing thing in the first game was that it was not a really good promotion for English football. But I think this could be a classic game. We are only focused on the football and, in fairness, I can ignore completely that we are playing Manchester United because for me what's important is to fight for the championship and to get three points."

Wenger was speaking after the publication in the Guardian yesterday of Sol Campbell's comments regarding matches against United, which he described as "bitter and personal". The Arsenal manager had sympathy with Campbell's sentiments.

"Maybe (when) Sol said that, that comes from a feeling in the first game when he was done by Rooney and maybe that is why he is still bitter, because up until that goal Manchester United had not had a chance," he said. "We will always try to play football - which we love - and that is the most important thing of all."

Guardian Service