WATCH – The Day Cristiano Ronaldo Showed No Mercy For Sir Alex Ferguson & Manchester United

The majority of the attention in the build-up to United’s visit to the Emirates Stadium has been on Arsene Wenger’s injury-plagued side.

The Gunners’ place in the Champions League knock-out round has been cast further into doubt following last night’s home draw with Fenerbahce, at a time when their domestic performances have fallen precipitously.

The Gunners’ weekend defeat at Stoke has dropped them to the bottom of the ‘top four,’ despite having played one more game than the other three.

Furthermore, whereas Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool have all played each other this season, Arsenal is yet to play any of its key rivals.

It has been said that if they do not win on Saturday, their title aspirations will be dead by early November, but Ronaldo is not buying it.

No matter how many injuries Wenger has to deal with, the Portugal winger expects the usual grueling assessment.

And, with United dropping points against Newcastle and Everton this season, he believes Sir Alex Ferguson’s side has a lot to prove as they try for a hat-trick of titles.

“We want to win the championship, so we need three points there,” Ronaldo remarked.

“I’m not sure if it’s difficult for them right now, but they’ll still have 11 players, just like us, and I know it’ll be difficult because it always is.

“However, we have a fantastic mentality and a terrific team, so our goal is to get three points.”

While United had an outstanding record at Highbury, they had only secured one point from two visits to the Emirates, both times surrendering late goals.

“It’s a new stadium, and maybe that’s why our record at the Emirates isn’t as good as it was at Highbury,” Ronaldo explained

“But don’t forget that Arsenal has a lot of skill as well. We respect them, and winning there will be difficult.”

Ronaldo insists that Arsenal’s title aspirations are not jeopardized on Saturday and sees no reason why their form cannot improve in the second half of the season in the same way it did last spring.

“Last season, Arsenal started really strong but dropped points towards the end,” he explained.

“Maybe this season will be different. Perhaps they will lose points early in the season and then win them later in the season. But we don’t have to be concerned about it. We must consider ourselves.”

Ronaldo failed to score the 100th goal for Manchester United against Celtic Friday night.

He did the next best thing, however, rocketing in a shot that Artur Boruc could only parry, allowing Ryan Giggs to earn United a share of the spoils.

Barring a number more spectacular Aalborg results, notably a four-goal win at Old Trafford next month, it practically secured the holders’ position in the knockout stage with two games to spare.

Ferguson has breathing room to make changes, even if he would prefer to lead Group E at the expense of Villarreal to give his team the best opportunity of progressing further.

Ronaldo was not discouraged by the result and was delighted by the roar of the Celtic fans.

“I enjoy playing here,” he said. “I really enjoy the atmosphere here. It was disappointing not to win, but I’ll take the point.

“We now have eight players and are virtually ready to move on to the next round. That’s all you can hope for.”