Teams emerge from the Old Trafford tunnel to the sound of This Is The One by The Stone Roses, an apt anthem for Arsenal and their supporters who feel each visit to Manchester United's home will finally be the one that ends their long wait for a league victory there.

August 2006 was the date of their last Premier League win at United, thanks to Emmanuel Adebayor's late goal. The first phase of this drought is perfectly explicable given they were up against a Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired team who won three straight league titles and reached three Champions League finals (the third without Ronaldo).

Their inability to beat United on their own patch in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era is more damning though, and Arsenal have served up some truly pusillanimous performances that raised the spectre of an unshakable mental block.

There are a myriad of tactical explanations and themes to pick out of each individual match, but one curious thread in the fixture's recent history is how often United have vanquished Arsenal while severely understrength. Monday's game could throw up a similar scenario with Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford all injury doubts.

As history tells us, this might not be a reason for Arsenal fans to get too excited.