The
FA Cup has been an underdogs' tournament this season, but its first
genuine heavyweight clash arrives on Monday when holders Arsenal visit
old rivals Manchester United in the quarter-finals.
Recent events
have left the FA Cup as the last realistic opportunity for both sides
to apply a silver sheen to seasons that are rolling towards uncertain
conclusions.
Arsenal have won four matches in a row in the league, but recent history has given them reason to fear trips to Old Trafford.
Arsene
Wenger's side have not won there since September 2006 -- a run of 10
matches that includes two FA Cup defeats and a scarring 8-2 annihilation
in the league in August 2011.
The Arsenal manager refuses to
entertain talk of bad omens, however, saying: "I don't believe too much
in history. I just believe in the performance on the day. At the moment
we are doing very well away from home.
"The size of the pitch is
exactly the same everywhere. It is just down to how much we turn up and
how much effort we put in to win the game. Both teams will think, 'If we
get over this hurdle, we have a good opportunity to win the
competition.'
"We are confident from our Premier League run, so we go to Manchester United to qualify and to give absolutely everything."
It
has been 11 years since United last lifted the trophy and captain Wayne
Rooney is far from alone in Van Gaal's squad in having an FA Cup-shaped
hole in his collection of winners' medals.
"We haven't been to a
final for a few years. We want to try to win that game and we are
looking forward to that," said the England striker.
"Of course, I
think it is a massive trophy. It is a trophy that, growing up as a
youngster, I used to love watching and I was fortunate enough to see
Everton lift the FA Cup in 1995 when I was nine years old.
"It is something which I would love to do and hopefully it can be this year."
Robin
van Persie and Juan Mata are the only members of the United squad to
have won the FA Cup, but Van Persie's success came with Arsenal in that
2005 final and Mata's was with Chelsea in 2012.
An ankle injury
means that Van Persie will miss the reunion with his former club, while
centre-back Jonny Evans begins a six-match ban for spitting at Papiss
Cisse during United's 1-0 win at Newcastle United on Wednesday.