Thursday 4 May 2017 12:21, UK
Arsene Wenger is right to ignore the "king of mind games", Jose Mourinho, and expect a strong Manchester United side on Sunday, say the Premier League Daily panel.
Mourinho said on Wednesday that United will be prioritising the two legs of their Europa League semi-final with Celta Vigo over their trip to the Emirates, live on Sky Sports 1 HD, and could field a weakened side in the Premier League clash.
But Wenger believes United's strong squad will allow Mourinho to field a powerful line-up, and former Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins believes the Gunners boss is right to steer clear of Mourinho's attempts to disrupt their preparation.
"I would agree with Arsene that any side chosen by Jose will be strong because as far is depth is concerned, I think they have the best squad," Wilkins told Premier League Daily.
"On some occasions he has made eight changes and the squad has still been packed out with internationals.
"It's Jose, he's the king of the mind games. He'll be putting out a very good side in Europe and he'll be doing so again at Arsenal this weekend. He's got an unbelievable record against Wenger and he'll want to keep that in tact."
Mourinho has never lost to Wenger in the Premier League, and the pair often clashed during the current United manager's time in charge of Chelsea.
Wenger also had a frosty relationship with former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, but admitted on Thursday it "mellowed" over the years and that he was open to "peace" with Mourinho.
Wilkins admits Mourinho does tend to fuel the fire with Wenger in the build up to each time the pair meet.
"These things happen on the sidelines," said Wilkins. "It's football. You will clash with people, I've clashed with people in football but they're still mates. But it must be tough for Arsene to keep getting beaten by Jose, and then just before the game Jose will put a little snippet about.
Asked whether the feud has been personal, Wilkins added: "Yes it has, but it happens. I hope they get on with it, shake hands and get on with it.
"But I just feel at this moment in time any side Jose puts out, they're playing in a certain way that will make it difficult for Arsene to beat them."
