Arsene Wenger has admitted that games between Arsenal and Manchester United no longer double up as a "final" due to both sides' recent Premier League title struggles.
Between 1996 and 2004, the Gunners and Red Devils claimed nine successive titles between them in a top-flight duopoly.
Chelsea and Manchester City have since entered the picture, though, while Leicester City also stunned the footballing world by going all the way in 2015-16.
With Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool also in the mix, Wenger confesses that there is now less weight associated with games between Arsenal and United.
"Do these games define the season? No, not as much," Sky Sports News quotes him as saying. "We are early in the season and during some seasons when I was here it was the final of the championship but that is not the case anymore.
"We have six or seven teams that fight at the top, but it is still a very big game and a very important one. [The history of the fixture] plays a little part because it is two big clubs and that always creates a big game and players know that a lot will be said before and after the game. Of course it has an influence."
Arsenal welcome United to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening, where they are seeking a third successive home win over their long-time rivals for the first time in 16 years.
Daniel Lewis
