Tonight's potentially definitive pair of matches simply serve to illustrate what has become increasingly apparent as this season evolved: Manchester United and Arsenal stand apart in the Premiership and although Chelsea and to a lesser extent Leeds United are attempting to redress the imbalance in the right way, the majority of clubs are trotting after them.

Not so many seasons ago, a game similar to this evening's at Anfield, with so much at stake, would have been a truly mouth-watering prospect. It is as much a measure of Liverpool's regression as their opponents' ability that I can't envisage anything other than a Manchester United win.

Alex Ferguson's team visit Anfield with a swagger nowadays, the memories of all those frustrating trips down the road when Liverpool were dominant have simply dissipated. Certainly, all the old passion will still be in evidence but my fear is that it will be confined to the stands.

These clubs don't like each other traditionally but Liverpool are a seriously demoralised team right now, are languishing in mid-table purgatory and must line out tonight without Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen. If they are to win, they have to play pure football.

They simply haven't the physical strength or depth to out-muscle United, who can really play you whatever way you like.

I expect Ferguson to opt for a strong, competitive team, with Jaap Stam dictating affairs at the back and the Roy Keane-Nicky Butt axis anchoring the show. Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole are the most likely front pairing.

Liverpool's season effectively disintegrated after their defeat by United in the FA Cup in January. The manner of that loss, when they capitulated in the last few minutes, was galling for them and also highlights the story of their season. They just don't have enough in reserve, no real depth.

That's why Manchester United won't fear this tie. It is possible they will come away from Anfield pointless - any team can have an off-night and it's possibly true that United are due theirs. Alex Ferguson will be cautious about this, but not overly so.

Don't expect to see United in any way conservative in their approach. I believe that next week's fixture against Blackburn, when United face a really desperate team struggling for survival, is potentially more perilous than this game, against a Liverpool team riven with instability and underachievers, a number of whom probably won't even be at the club next season.

It will be reasonably close, maybe United by a goal, but ultimately I think that they will arrive there focused on winning and methodically set about doing that. The local rivalry factor won't distract them unduly; they have moved beyond that now.

If your life depended on choosing one team who could fashion a win, Manchester United are that team. But the team in the Premiership least likely to lose a match is Arsenal. They just never fail to impress me. You can watch them and close your eyes for a number of seconds and then look at them again with absolute certainty that they will remain positionally flawless.

That is, of course, down to Arsene Wenger, who, along with Ferguson, has had a profound influence on the Premiership. His total approach with Arsenal, from retaining that solid back-four pairing, who almost seem to belong to another era, to bulking the side up through the likes of Patrick Vieira and Ray Parlour to the fluidity and speed injected by Marc Overmars and Nicolas Anelka and, of course, Dennis Bergkamp. They really are an attractive package.

Of course, this game against Tottenham has added intrigue in that it features George Graham and it's at White Hart Lane and the old London rivalry will be on show. But Arsenal are too savvy to become unhinged by that.

Results can go against form but again I expect Arsenal to do enough here. Tottenham are perhaps most vulnerable through the centre - obviously, exploiting Sol Campbell isn't really an option but Ramon Vega and Stefan Freund, his potential partners, can be a little raw and although young Steve Carr has made a tremendous impression, it makes for a back four with not a whole lot of experience.

Of course, Wenger doesn't have the same range of options as Ferguson has employed so astutely throughout United's various campaigns. But at least the bench is not so threadbare as last year, with Nwankwo Kanu and Diawara contributing regularly, Stephen Hughes featuring and even Martin Keown may be in the substitutes tonight.

It is easier to see United winning games purely because they play more openly and they have a greater spread of threats, from David Beckham and Denis Irwin's free-taking to Paul Scholes's penetrative runs to the razor-sharp front tandem. Arsenal play a slightly more inhibited game, although Anelka is really emerging as a star.

I think that kid can be as good as he wants to be. He no longer gives that impression of being a sulky player, as was the case initially. He moves so well despite often playing an isolated position up front and is now finishing with lethal precision. He may yet have a very telling impact on the final resting place of this championship, from tonight in. But chances are, this season will go right to the wire, with both sides taking maximum points this evening.

Just a word about Leeds and Chelsea. Chelsea have to get the verdict. I think that Leeds have had a terrific season, they realise that they will almost definitely finish in fourth spot and have reason to be content with that.

Chelsea have emerged from that brief slump which saw them persistently drawing against inferior opposition and they are creating enough regular openings to win. With that, they will take the sizeable consolation of third spot in the league. The order above them will remain somewhat obscure for the time being but the smart money is, of course, on Manchester United.

(In an interview with Keith Duggan)