The strikers will be the headline acts in Sunday's blockbuster match at Old Trafford but they could easily have ended up at opposite destinations
Cesc Fabregas throwing pizza at Sir Alex Ferguson. Gary Neville scissor-tackling Jose Antonio Reyes. Roy Keane telling Patrick Vieira "I'll see you out there". Peter Schmeichel taking on Ian Wright after having his leg stamped on. It was rarely a dull affair when Manchester United met Arsenal.
But as well as the vitriol, the epic clashes between the clubs in the late 1990s and early 2000s were remembered as meetings of fearsome forwards. And the best moments belonged to Thierry Henry and Ruud van Nistelrooy, the two leading marksmen who spearheaded the pitched battles between the teams for five seasons.
The rivalry never really truly recovered from their eventual departures and United-Arsenal was eventually overtaken by Manchester City versus Liverpool as the Premier League's biggest fixture.
But this summer both United and Arsenal have broken the bank to land leading strikers and when they meet on Sunday at Old Trafford, all eyes will be on Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko - two lethal centre-forwards who both clubs hope will take them to the next level.