Wenger urges Ferguson to calm down as big battle looms
The France international's dismissal was the catalyst for the unseemly melee which erupted during last season's fiery encounter between Arsenal and Manchester United.
Vieira now looks set to miss this Sunday's rematch due to an ankle injury, with boss Arsene Wenger saying his captain has at best only a "20% chance" of playing.
With Martin Keown, who was the chief protagonist in the baiting of Ruud van Nistelrooy, also having left the club, that should at least help to reduce the animosity levels.
However, Ferguson seemed to be deliberately stoking up the war of words between the two clubs with his outspoken weekend comments.
The United boss declared Arsenal had "got away with murder" with the "ridiculous" punishments for their indiscipline, claiming it was the "worst thing I've ever witnessed in sport".
Wenger, whose side must first take on Panathinaikos in Athens tonight, responded to those taunts by assuming the moral high ground.
"I hope that he will calm down. As managers, we have a responsibility to prepare this game the way it has to be - to make sure it is a football game, not one full of resentment or un-needed aggression.
"I think he has a good sense of humour, you cannot deny that. Maybe it would have been better if you had put us against the wall and shot us. Seriously though, you have to consider that he and I are not in the best position to judge that.
"The whole story has been judged by the Football Association and you have to accept it. I can only guarantee you that it doesn't influence us at all. We will, as ever, focus on the way we play football and make sure that everyone has a football game to watch.
Wenger was initially prepared to give Ferguson the benefit of the doubt, believing the comments were made in the heat of the moment after last Saturday's game at Birmingham City. However, when learning they were actually voiced at his Sunday newspaper briefing last Friday, the Arsenal boss responded: "That is even more surprising."
Vieira's ankle injury, which was sustained against Aston Villa last weekend, has come at one of the worst possible times for Wenger, for whom victory could effectively finish United's title hopes.
"Patrick had a scan and it looks much better than expected but it still looks like he will be short for Sunday's game," he said.
Even with Gilberto Silva definitely missing with a back injury, Wenger is still confident in his central midfield partnership of Cesc Fabregas and Edu.
That would be Fabregas's third game in just eight days, a heavy burden for a 17-year-old whom Wenger was attempting to restrict to just one match a week.
"How well he will cope with it, I don't know. Let's go from game to game and see how well he does in Athens. We also have Mathieu Flamini who can play and I'm not scared to play him," said Wenger.
Wenger will still not rest any of his key players tonight in Athens to save them for Sunday's game, although Dennis Bergkamp is missing as he does not fly.
Fredrik Ljungberg is nevertheless back in contention to play after a hamstring injury, while Jose Reyes is set to move back up front.
"Our strongest team will play in Greece and then again on Sunday. It's as simple as that. We want to win every game," said Wenger.
"The best way to prepare for Sunday is to win on Wednesday as it keeps the confidence and self-belief high.
"This week is the kind of week when everyone wants to see how well we perform, so it is a big week for us."
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