Arsenal hold a five-point advantage over Manchester City –
who host Wolves on Sunday – at the top of the table, while they also have a
game in hand over the defending champions.
A win over United would represent a huge step towards
Arsenal's fourth Premier League title triumph – and their first since an era in
which they routinely battled the Red Devils for major honours.
Several meetings between Arsene Wenger's Arsenal and Alex
Ferguson's United boiled over as the teams competed for Premier League dominance
at the turn of the century, and Arteta says his men must also relish the dirty
work in their quest for the title.
"Having that balance and having those qualities in the
squad is necessary," Arteta said. "To have the mentality and capacity
to control emotions when you play on big stages is very necessary.
"The physical aspect is necessary. Without that, you
cannot compete over 11 months in the conditions in which we work. We have tried
to build a team that has everything."
Asked whether Arsenal have the resilience to avoid ceding
ground to a City side with experience of chasing down their competitors, Arteta
added: "We haven't done it in many years.
"To be in the title race, it's something that we have
to show we can do. Words mean nothing. We have to do it on the pitch."
While Arsenal have won five of their last seven home league
games against United (D1, L1), Erik ten Hag's men are the only team to beat the
Gunners in the Premier League this season.
With Arsenal looking to avenge September's 3-1 defeat at Old
Trafford, Arteta is braced for a unique atmosphere, saying: "I'm talking
to the boys to understand what we're going to experience on Sunday.
"For us it's very meaningful, for our fans it's very
meaningful and we are creating special atmospheres in the stadium. We have to
take advantage of that, for sure."
Despite Arsenal's long-running rivalry with United, Sunday's
fixture will represent just the third time they have hosted the Red Devils in
the Premier League while top of the table.
Both of the two previous such meetings finished level – 1-1
in March 2004 and 2-2 in November 2007.