Arsenal vs Manchester United: Today's ultimate team

Third plays second at the Emirates today and with Chelsea in good form will a loser here fall out of title contention? With so many injuries and suspensions to both Arsenal and Manchester United this could make this a game where a mistake gifts the game one way or the other. Still the best combined team between Arsenal and Manchester United is still a cracker.

We have done a number of combined or ultimate teams in the last couple of years - it is interesting to see how they evolve over time.

Goalkeeper
In goal both teams have had injury problems in goal. In league games Almunia has played 18 games, Foster 8 games, Kuszczak 8 games, van der Sar 7 games and Mannone 5 games - which just shows how fractured both teams have been. But Edwin van ser Sar despite only seven league games has demonstrated the calmness and quality that makes him so important to United - he is simply a crucial 2% better than any of the other keepers available for this game.

Left back
Two excellent choices here, together with Ashley Cole at Chelsea the best in the division. But I reckon that Patrice Evra has the big match experience to edge out Gael Clichy. Interestingly left back and right midfield are the only two areas that are difficult picks, I reckon, so the left-backs may well have a serious bearing on today's result.

Centre backs
There are good candidates here but injury and suspension probably decides things. Nemanja Vidic may well command a world record fee for a defender in the summer and is again available. Had Rio Ferdinand been available then it might have been a trickier choice for a partner as he complements Vidic so well, but William Gallas has been outstanding this season and gets a place on merit. Thomas Vermaelen is injured and Jonny Evans is an outstanding prospect - but not yet in the Gallas/Vidic league. As for Sol Campbell, his mobility a worry if Rooney can isolate him.

Right back
With United missing regular right-back, John O'Shea, there is little competition for Bacary Sagna; Rafael da Silva is a teenager with potential and scored in this fixture last season and as he is approaching 40 first team games will soon have the experience to match his precocious running. Wes Brown seems to be going backwards at the moment.

Central midfield
This area of the pitch also picks itself because no pundit with an ounce of neutrality would surely look beyond Cesc Fabregas as the creative force and Darren Fletcher as the destructive option. Fabregas is now moving past Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard as the best goalscoring midfielder in the country; and perhaps only Liverpool's Argentina captain, Javier Mascherano, can challenge United's Scottish stifler when he is at his best. Who would have thought that Fletcher would develop so strongly over the last two or three years? Eboue, Denilson, Nasri, Song, Anderson, Carrick and so on would be the reserve options for me.

Left midfield
If there were stronger options up front, an in-form Berbatov or Owen or a fit van Persie then I would put Andrei Arshavin here - but in the absence of Arsene Wenger's brilliant purchase of exactly a year ago I would put player-of-last-year Ryan Giggs here and push Arshavin forward. Giggs' fitness levels remain astonishing as he demonstrated by popping up in stoppage time at the end of Wednesday's pulsating League Cup semi-final to curl a delicious cross in for Rooney's winner.

Right midfield
This is a difficult choice - probably the most difficult of this line-up. If Theo Walcott was closer to full fitness I would probably pick him, but as an unused substitute in mid-week and only one start in 2010 there must be a doubt hanging over him. I could post the improving Aaron Ramsey here, or Tomas Rosicky (who is also being eased back into action) or even Nani after a couple of good performances. But I'm going with Antonio Valencia who is very consistent for a wideman and shackled Ashley Cole when United played Chelsea

Forwards
As I mentioned earlier I would have to put Andrei Arshavin somewhere and in the absence of van Persie it would probably have to be in attack behind the imperious Wayne Rooney. Rooney is emerging as the best English goalscoring forward since Gary Lineker (a better international goals per game ratio than Michael Owen at his pomp) - as well as a prodigious work ethic and a fair few assists.

*There is my best combined XI of the players available today - who would you change or do I have this right for a change? Let us know!