Arsenal versus Middlesbrough. You’ll learn to love those words. The teams meet four times over the next 18 days.
On Saturday at Highbury, it’s a mere Premiership clash. The unbeaten Gunners, held 1-1 at Everton on Wednesday, come against one of the meanest defences in the division.
Then, 10 days later, Boro are back for the first leg of the League Cup semifinal.
That weekend, January 25, it’s the FA Cup fourth round tie between the same two clubs, with the second leg of the League Cup semi at the Riverside on Wednesday January 28.
Bloody hell. Those four games will make or break the season for both clubs.
Defeat on three domestic trophy fronts would be disastrous for Steve McLaren’s Boro, and cataclysmic for Arsène Wenger’s mighty Arsenal, unless they win their fourth trophy, the Champions League.
It’s not as if the Gunners don’t like to be beside the Teeside. The clubs last met in the unglamorous north-east, home of the ICI chemical works and many grotty pubs, on August 24.
That day Sylvain Wiltord scored twice, along with Thierry Henry and Gilberto Silva. That was Boro’s worst defeat of the season. Since then they have gone for months without conceding (or scoring) many goals.
And Henry has gone on to become a football god, voted the second best player in the world behind French pal Zinedane Zidane at Real Madrid and the runner-up in Europe behind Czech mate Pavel Nedved of Juventus.
And what a man King Henry has become. He’s recorded a second great television advert for Renault, he’s been linked with Real Madrid and everyone loves him. Last Sunday against Leeds, Henry positively glowed, stabbing home one volley and declining to celebrate before setting up three further efforts in a 4-1 FA Cup third round win at Leeds.
Strangely, Arsenal’s Ladies team are scheduled to play in the fifth round of the Women’s FA Cup on January 25 … against Middlesbrough.
Arsenal should get by at Highbury on Saturday, closing the gap on Manchester United. They’ll win the FA Cup tie too. I have no idea what the women will do. It’s the League Cup two-legger they may have trouble with if Wenger opts to play his Young Guns.
Elsewhere on Saturday, watch out for Leeds and Tottenham in a relegation shoot-out at Elland Road. Yup, ‘orrible Leeds and spineless Spurs. Both in trouble, despite Spurs 4-1 spree against Birmingham on Wednesday. Personally I’d like them both to lose, but you can’t have everything.
Higher up the table, it’s the fight for fourth which concerns us. Battered Birmingham will beat inconsistent visitors Southampton, Fulham should prevail over Everton, Blackburn must cheer up Graeme Souness by beating Bolton and Charlton will demolish doomed Wolves in the battle for the final Champions League spot being fought out light years away from the top three.
I back Newcastle because of the depth of talent at St James’s Park. Thing is, they’ve got Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. No points for Bobby Robson there then.
On Sunday: Chelsea’s bid to stay with the top two continues at Leicester. After Wednesday’s gutless 1-0 home defeat against Liverpool, Claudio Ranieri suddenly finds himself in a win-or-bust scenario. Mind you, having spent £60-million and lost three out of five in the Premiership, it’s understandable.
Just above the relegation fighters, Portsmouth, woeful when I covered their FA Cup tie against brave Blackpool last Saturday, host Manchester City. Pompey have got more casualties than a Friday night emergency ward, Kevin Keegan’s City are struggling too. May the least-worst side win.
But the game that really intrigues me is Liverpool vs Aston Villa. David O’Leary’s once-threatened Villa are second according to results over the last six games, where they’ve won four, drawn one and lost one after Tuesday’s triumph over perplexed Portsmouth.
But Gérard Houllier, the urbane Anfield boss, is under huge pressure after last week’s supporters’ meeting. Defeat against Villa, now challenging the Reds for fourth, is unthinkable … especially after the unexpected triumph at Chelsea on Wednesday.
Houllier said: ‘We’ve shown the critics are wrong with our first victory at Stamford Bridge. It’s a good omen for the future.
‘It’s been a difficult week. We are not happy with our form this season but we showed character.â€
Sorry Gérard, win or lose this weekend, I think Celtic’s unsettled but hugely successful coach Martin O’Neill will be on Merseyside by next season.