United ended Arsenal's unbeaten top-flight record run in October in controversial circumstances, topped off by a notorious food fight in the tunnel, triggering a vicious cycle of sniping between Ferguson and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.

Second-placed Arsenal are just a point ahead of United but 10 adrift of Jose Mourinho's Chelsea, whose miserly defence has conceded just eight goals in 24 league games.

A draw would leave Mourinho licking his lips but while a win for either side would ensure the points gap does not widen, defeat would leave an almost impossible deficit to overhaul.

The two clubs have pledged to turn down the heat but Ferguson is predicting Highbury will dish up another serving of piping-hot enmity.

"It will be a hostile atmosphere. It'll be intense and the atmosphere at times will be incredible," Ferguson said.

"There won't be a bigger game for my players all season because of all the hype that surrounds our matches these days. There is a lot of pressure on us, a lot of pressure on Arsenal, and there will be a lot of pressure on the officials.

United have the psychological advantage, having turfed the Gunners out of the League Cup, adding to Arsenal's 2-0 Premiership defeat at Old Trafford which halted their record 49-match top-flight unbeaten run.

That full-blooded contest sparked the 'Battle of the Buffet', the infamous flare-up in the tunnel when pizza and soup were supposedly hurled by Arsenal's players at Ferguson, who alleged Wenger threatened him as disorder ensued.

The incident may have cost Ferguson at the dry cleaners, but the real setback was at Highbury.

The defeat rattled Arsenal, who stumbled in subsequent matches, losing ground on Chelsea and sparking a seemingly endless war of words between Wenger and Ferguson.

The atmosphere has soured to such an extent that the Football Association, the police and even government ministers stepped in to demand the two camps end the feud.

United warmed up for Tuesday with a 3-0 FA Cup romp over Middlesbrough on Saturday, while Arsenal were given an good workout as they beat Wolverhampton 2-0 at Highbury.

"We haven't given up on the Championship," insisted Wenger. "If we wanted an intense preparation for Tuesday's game we got it. They gave us a very hard game.

"It was a good preparation physically because we had to put the effort in."