This could be a defining moment in the Premier League this weekend. Arsenal host Aston Villa and where the kids were in fine form in the week and last week’s epically entertaining game against Manchester United showed the best of them. But Villa are capable and capable of scoring goals, so they could get a surprise. Equally Bolton won at Hull last week - mainly thanks to their goalkeeper admittedly -  but and with  Jussi Jaaskelainen still there Liverpool have to find a way past. Manchester United’s vaunted front men were firing blanks mostly against QPR and Stoke may be better opposition which sort of says it is another stutter or a slaughter. The only one of the top four sides that look like a banker are Chelsea at West Brom. Have a triple on Liverpool and Arsenal to lose and United to draw and £1 pays £336. Bet the other way on the top four all to win and £1 pays £3.50. Get a free £10 bet here

One might have expected the goals to rain in against Celtic and Fenerbahce in the Champions League midweek, but both Arsenal and Manchester United seeemed politically content with draws. The real business is at noon on Satuirday. Arsene Wenger will have been encouraged that his defence did not ship anymore goals but Mikel Silvestre’s apparently broken nose marks another injury problem for the French manager at the back. United’s £120million of forward fire power could not dislodge the Scots either -  until a swirling 40 yarder from Cristiano Ronaldo was pushed out into the path of an onrushing Ryan Giggs to nod in. Not really the goal of champions.

The betting is interesting. It is heavily skewed in the sense that three goals in the game either way starts at 21/1. A 0-0 is almost dicounted at 9/1. But a 3-3 is 39/1. 4-2 is 59/1 and 79/1 in favour of United. Interesting odds. Get a free £10 bet here and all the odds.

The name is Wenger…Arsene Wenger. Sorry I missed that…?

The two old foes Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson came together in September for a charity function to raise funds for the League Managers Association Benevolent Trust. Hostilities will doubtless be resumed on Saturday at noon when Arsenal’s porous defence - eight goals conceded in three games meets Manchester United’s elegant gunslinging quartet of Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo and Berbatov. United though shipped three goals themselves to Hull last week.  Arsenal have scored 15 in five games before tonight’s Champions League game and have a day’s advantage in terms of rest. Ten of their last 11 goals have come from different players.

The betting makes interesting reading for what could be a high scoring game. 4-4 is 129/1 which is not beyond the bounds of possibilities. In fact anything involving one side to score three goals is more than 21/1 looks tempting.

All the Arsenal v Manchester United odds are here

After a hard day’s negotiations between United and City, Dimitar Berbatov is back with his national side Bulgaria at Vassil Levski stadium in Sofia  training for their World Cup Group Eight qualifying soccer match against Montenegro on Wednesday. Manchester United’s expensive new acquisition will be a new dimension in Alex Ferguson’s arsenal, althouhg it was intrioguing that Manchester City said they would have paid for both Berbatov and Robinho had the bids been accepted which is a partnership that might have produced some free flowing football, but alas will be unlikely to happen now.

There are some interesting games this weekend. Manchester United kick off the action in Monaco for the European Super Cup against Uefa Cup winners Zenit St Petersburgh. There are usually goals in this fixture, but for United there is a question of who might score them with Saha gone to Everton, Ronaldo in recuperation and the much anticipated arrival of Dimitar Berbatov still an illusion. That just leaves £32million of Carlos Tevez to hound the Russian defence. Nani can play after a suspension which will add some electricity and Anderson is back from the Olympics with Brazil.

On the other hand it is 19 games into the Russian season But Zenit are off the pace in sixth and star player Andre Arshavin seems to have been sent to the soccer equivalent of Siberia for daring to do a Berbatov/Ronaldo/Lampard and let it be known he might want away.

Sir Alex Ferguson has said he will treat this game as a one-off whatever that might mean. Monaco will just be praying the United supporters don’t do what Glasgow Rangers fans did to Manchester when they lost the final to Zenit.

Get all the odds on European Super Cup Final here