Arsene Wenger believes that Arsenal can beat United on Saturday at the Emirates and continue their ‘good run’ in the league.

This run, which totals two games unbeaten domestically (Leicester and Spurs) would hardly be one that many people would think of as ‘good’ and the effects of Olympiacos on the fan base have certainly not been positive.

The boss, however, is more than a little optimistic ahead of the six-pointer and with United’s manager expecting a backlash after the Champions League debacle it’s not surprising to hear Wenger in bullish form ahead of the game.

“It is a special fixture because usually Man United are always fighting at the top,” Wenger said at his press conference on Friday. “It has an even bigger meaning now because there are three points between the teams, and we play at home in a big game.

“We have just come from a big win at Leicester and we want to continue our run. We are the only team who has beaten [Leicester], so I don’t see why we should not believe we can beat Manchester United.

“At the moment it is too difficult to say that any team dominates the championship.

“It is so tight that one point more after seven games does not mean you will suddenly make a big difference in the league.

“It is settling at the moment and it is a very important time in the Premier League but you cannot come to a conclusion that one team is above everybody else.”

Regardless of how poorly Arsenal have been playing this season they have still managed to keep themselves within touching distance of the top of the table.

A win on Sunday would certainly go some way to appeasing a large section of the fanbase, but it will merely be the first step on the long road to happiness.