Reds prepare for the defining battle

THE FA Cup has thrown up some epic encounters down the years.

Seldom, however, has it produced a fifth-round tie laced with such psychological significance as the events which will unfold at Old Trafford today at lunchtime when Manchester United take on Arsenal.

For Arsenal, at stake is the defence of the double won so imperiously last season, when it seemed manager Arsene Wenger had smashed the United domination and was on the cusp of building a Highbury dynasty.