The main news from our perspective is that Robin van Persie is fit enough to return to the squad. With the team needing to be set up to get goals, if he’s near fit enough he will start

So our season comes down to this one game. Our first chance of winning proper silverware since the last time we knocked Manchester United out of a cup competition. Fourth place is now secured and Chelsea’s league form suggests we won’t finish any higher. It all comes down to this. We were underdogs going into this semi final against the current champions, and with a one goal deficit added to that we’re definitely not the side fancied to go through. But teams have progressed twenty one times in the Champions League after suffering losses in the first legs of knockout games, and twenty of those the winning side were at home for the second leg. United should have scored more in the first leg and we need to punish them by taking our chances in the second.

Man Utd have never won at Le Grove, but they know that they don’t have to win. They’re not going to come at us from the start to try and score goals, initially they’ll be set up to soak up our pressure and prevent us scoring. And they know that as the game goes on, it’ll probably get more open and one goal for them leaves us needing three within the ninety minutes. I don’t think anyone sees us not conceding in this game, meaning we’ll need a team capable of scoring three goals from the start. Having said that we’re yet to concede at home in the Champions League this season. Hopefully Wenger gets the team selection right. The last time we scored three goals against United in a competitive game was in 2001, more than seven years ago. They’ve scored in seven of their last eight away trips to Arsenal and we’ve conceded seven goals in our last five games.

Team News

The main news from our perspective is that Robin van Persie is fit enough to return to the squad. With the team needing to be set up to get goals, if he’s near fit enough he will start, initially behind Adebayor. Silvestre will probably be in the squad but he might be struggling with fitness a bit too much to start, so Djourou could keep his place at centre back. Clichy is definitely ruled out for this game so Gibbs will come back into the side.

Diaby, Song, Nasri and van Persie will miss the potential final if they are yellow carded tonight.

There’s a chance Rooney could start from the bench, as he is a yellow card away from missing a potential final. He played the entire game against Middlesbrough on Saturday, while Tevez and Ronaldo sat on the bench. I think they’ll set up in a counter attacking manner with the pace of Anderson, Nani, Ronaldo and Tevez, as they know we’ll have to come at them with the impetus and one goal for them would make life very difficult for us. Rio Ferdinand didn’t crack a rib in the first leg and trained with the squad yesterday, so he should be fit to start tonight. Evra was substituted on Saturday with a leg injury but Ferguson has since reported that he’s probably OK to start.

Tevez, Rooney and Evra are on two yellow cards going into this game, and would miss the final if they pick up a third.