Find out how the old rivals are looking ahead of Friday's 'live' FA Cup quarter final

This weekend was supposed to see four Emirates FA Cup quarter final ties take place. But with those games postponed until a later date, we thought we'd look back to another quarter final classic with Cup fans on Twitter voting to see Manchester United's tie with Arsenal from 2011 on our YouTube and Facebook channels. Ahead of the show, take a look back at how things stood going into the game...

Thursday 19 Mar 2020
Rival bosses Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger shake hands after the 2004 FA Cup semi-final

Arsenal travel to Old Trafford to face bitter rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter finals as they bid to save their season. 

Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson will meet once again, as the Gunners look to avoid going out of a third cup competition in a fortnight. 

Defeat in the League Cup final to Birmingham City at Wembley last month was followed up by another Champions League exit at the hands of Barcelona and with league form slipping, a win for Wenger could be the perfect medicine for fans. 

Manchester United v Arsenal
  • The Emirates FA Cup
  • Quarter final
  • Saturday 12 March 2011
  • Old Trafford, Manchester
  • Watch on Emirates FA Cup YouTube & Facebook channels

Meanwhile in Manchester, Ferguson has his team positioned on top of the Premier League table despite suffering back-to-back defeats to Chelsea and Liverpool in their last two games. 

A Wes Brown winner saw United past Crawley Town in the previous round and a Javier Hernandez double was enough to hold off Marseille in the Champions League, meaning a shot at another treble is still on. 

And the two sides have produced some memorable moments in the competition over the years ranging from Ryan Giggs' 1999 semi-final winner to Patrick Vieira's Cup Final-winning shootout penalty in 2005 - his final act for Arsenal. 

Ryan Giggs celebrates his wonder goal in the 1999 FA Cup replay victory over Arsenal

Victory for the Gunners would give them the opportunity to go all the way and draw level with United as the most successful club in history of the FA Cup, with 11 wins. 

But both managers could be without key players for the tie as Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas continues his rehabilitation while United are likely to be short of midfield options too, with Ferguson expected to shuffle his pack and perhaps utilise some of his defensive players in new-look roles. 

One thing is for sure though, it's always fireworks when these old rivals meet. 

And you can re-live this classic 2011 quarter final on our official Emirates FA Cup Facebook and YouTube channels at 7.45pm on Friday 19 March - as voted for by our Twitter followers. 

WATCH LIVE

 
By Tom Dean