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Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker confident of victory over Manchester United

Per Mertesacker
Image: Per Mertesacker: Expects Arsenal to bounce back against Manchester United.

Per Mertesacker is confident Arsenal can defeat Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday and quickly put the frustration of Monday’s 1-0 home defeat to Swansea behind them.

The Gunners saw their 10-match unbeaten run in the Barclays Premier League ended by Bafetimbi Gomis’ late winner, after failing to take a string of chances at the other end.

Louis van Gaal’s men, who sit two points behind Arsenal, can move up to third with a win although the Gunners do have a game in hand on their rivals.

Mertesacker stressed the importance of finishing in the top three and securing automatic qualification for next season’s Champions League group stages.

"You could feel the disappointment in the dressing room after the Swansea game, because we gave so much, but we are still positive," he said.

"We still have a good level of confidence, so we are looking forward to the remaining games. It is very important (finishing in the top three) when you look at the schedule (for the start of next season), so we try to really avoid that."

The German defender feels the battle for possession at Old Trafford will be key to determining the outcome but he is hopeful his Arsenal team-mates can replicate the performance they put in in their 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final win at Old Trafford in March.

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"That is a major part of their game and we need to try to control it. They will want to keep the ball as much as possible," Mertesacker said.

"Can we restrict that? Can we get the ball in their half and break? Francis Coquelin did really well in that role last time."

A frustrated Arsene Wenger was critical of Swansea’s tactics in the aftermath of the defeat on Monday but expects his team to bounce back with a big performance at Old Trafford.

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"We played against a team with a 4-6 formation, who didn't play and you are always frustrated when they manage to get away with a win," Wenger told Arsenal Player.

"On the other hand, we showed a lot of quality, but were not very good in our finishing and guilty of giving away a mistake for their goal.

"It is disappointing but we should get encouragement because if we have done it for 10 games, we can do it again. We haven't lost our quality here, so let's restart on Sunday.

"Of course it makes that game important because the way you respond to a defeat always gives you a big indication that the team is strong mentally and that is what is expected of us on Sunday."

You can watch Manchester United take on Arsenal on Sunday live on Sky Sports 1 HD, with coverage from 3.30pm.

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