Five years after Ryan Giggs propelled Manchester United towards their unprecedented Treble, history could be about to repeat itself in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal at Villa Park.Only this time, the boot is very much on the other foot.Half a decade later Arsenal are the team closing in on exactly the same Treble and the green eyes are United’s as they contemplate a second barren season in three years.Saturday’s noon showdown offers them their one remaining chance to thwart Arsene Wenger’s magnificent eleven. A battle of bare-knuckle intensity between English soccer’s two fiercest rivals is guaranteed.Premier league leaders Arsenal, unbeaten in a record 30 league games since the season’s start, are trying to become the first club since 1886 to win soccer’s oldest knockout competition three years in a row.Apart from their wins over Chelsea and Southampton in the last two finals, Arsenal also lost the 2001 final to Liverpool, so they will also become the first team to reach four successive finals if they triumph on Saturday.Wenger knows Arsenal must pace themselves but it seems unthinkable that on Saturday he will rest ace striker Thierry Henry, who seems certain to play after exerting himself for only 45 minutes for France on Wednesday.“Thierry will be available but nothing is decided yet,“ Wenger said. “It is a very difficult situation to manage because we have four games in a week. I have to consider the whole task we face in the eight days and try to be successful everywhere. That is my target. I hope I will find a solution and I am confident I will.”United captain Roy Keane’s now familiar midfield duel with his counterpart Patrick Vieira will be pivotal and Arsenal’s Frenchman will not be surprised to hear Keane is feeling feisty.“It has not all been rosy this season and we have had one or two problems,” the Irishman said. “We deserve to get there but Arsenal probably think that too. Unfortunately, someone’s going to be disappointed at the weekend.”
