No Lac of battle when it’s United

ALEX LACAZETTE knows all about the rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United. After all, he’d be glued to clashes between the two English giants as a youngster growing up in France. So many of Arsene Wenger’s young compatriots tuned in for games between the two great rivals, with Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane, and Martin Keown and Ruud van Nistelrooy all going head to head. Wenger will make his last visit to Old Trafford, the scene of so many of his teams’ greatest battles, as Arsenal boss this afternoon. And while Fergie won’t be in the home dugout, another of his great adversaries, Jose Mourinho, will be. That will add to the spice of the occasion and Lacazette, getting a first taste of a UnitedArsenal game at the Theatre of Dreams, cannot wait. “Yes, it is a massive game,” he said. “I have never been to Old Trafford but I know every time you go there it is hard. “When you play for Arsenal these kind of games come every three days. We’re having a lot of big games and little recovery but we just want to keep going and put on a good performance. “Since I was young I was dreaming about this kind of game. “When Thierry Henry and everybody were scoring goals. “I remember Sylvain Wiltord’s goal as well, in the gold shirt [the day Arsenal clinched the title to win the Double in 2002]. “I was a real fan. But now it is for me to play and to have a good performance as well.” Lacazette would love a win for Wenger today, but also for himself and his teammates who he knows are playing for their futures.

He added: “For every French person, he is a great manager.

“He was 22 years in the club so he has a good image in France and for a player like me we want to finish well for him.

“He was very important in me joining Arsenal – I saw him before I signed and we talked for a long time because it was a big decision to change my life.

“I’m always thankful to him because he believed in me to come from France and go to Arsenal.

Change

“Obviously a new manager will be different, and that’s why we want to keep going and be good, as we know that a new manager is coming so maybe everything will change.

“We don’t know if everyone can stay in the club.”

Today’s clash with United and his France tam-mate Paul Pogba, a player Lacazette describes as ‘one of the best in the world’, precedes Arsenal’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid on Thursday.

Arsenal were the better side in the first leg at the Emirates and led for a long time through Lacazette’s goal, his seventh in seven in the competition.

But Diego Simeone’s Atleti, who were reduced to 10 men when rightback Sime Vrsaljko was sent off inside 13 minutes, are still the favourites to reach the final in Lyon on May 16 after Antoine Griezmann, another France team-mate, levelled.

Lacazette is positive, though, and he said: “Everything is possible, of course. It’s football, we have to believe ourselves and do it.”