Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy insists ‘the sport wants rivalries’ as Man United icon plots Arsenal’s downfall
- Leicester face Arsenal in the Premier League in Saturday’s early kick-off
- Man United icon Ruud van Nistelrooy is aiming to halt Arsenal’s title charge
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Will Liverpool recover from Everton blow in season-defining week?
Ruud van Nistelrooy admits he relishes football’s most bitter battles as he prepares to lock horns with Arsenal once again on Saturday.
The Dutchman is fighting relegation in charge of Leicester and his team will be underdogs at King Power Stadium against Mikel Arteta’s title-chasing team.
But the clash revives memories of the ferocious meeting between Manchester United and Arsenal in 2003, when Van Nistelrooy missed a late penalty to win the match and was surrounded by gloating Gunners defenders, led by Mail Sport columnist Martin Keown.
‘The game needs rivalries, of course,’ said Van Nistelrooy. ‘It’s the best thing in football. The Merseyside derby this week, Barcelona v Real Madrid, United v Liverpool, PSV Eindhoven against Ajax.
‘I travelled to Argentina to watch Boca Juniors v River Plate for this reason. Back in 2003 I was gutted to miss the penalty, that was the big thing. It was my responsibility to win the game late on for my team and I didn’t do that.
‘Other than that I wasn’t really bothered by what happened as I was only focused on trying to help United win trophies.
Ruud van Nistelrooy is hoping his Leicester side can produce a major upset against Arsenal on Saturday
Van Nistelrooy famously clashed with Arsenal’s Martin Keown while playing for Man United
Van Nistelrooy insists he relishes the rivalries in football and is now looking to get one over Arsenal while in charge of Leicester
‘Of course the competition was always fantastic and in 2004, in the same fixture, there was another penalty moment and that for me is what it’s about. You step up again and this time you score. You can see in my emotion with the celebration after the second one that it meant a lot to me.’
United won that game 2-0 to end Arsenal’s record-breaking 49-match unbeaten run in the Premier League and Van Nistelrooy would settle for a similar result tomorrow, as his team have lost eight of their last nine and are two points adrift of safety.
He added: ‘We need a reaction and a good performance. We need to create momentum.’
