Premier League - Wenger prepares Arsenal for 'huge' game against Wigan

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has braced his players for their "huge" Premier League match with FA Cup winners Wigan on Tuesday.

For Arsenal, failure to defeat Wigan Athletic on Tuesday would leave their hopes of a 16th season in the Champions League in severe jeopardy; for Wigan Athletic, anything other than a win would quickly sour the taste of a memorable FA Cup final shock.

As end-of-season fixtures go, the clash at the Emirates could hardly have more importance to the two sides involved, as Wenger has acknowledged.

"Both teams will go for it, it's a huge game for both of us," Wenger told reporters on Monday.

Arsenal slipped out of the top four on Sunday as neighbours Tottenham Hotspur came from a goal down to beat Stoke City 2-1 in their penultimate match of the season.

Tottenham, who missed out on the Champions League despite a fourth-place finish last season because Chelsea won the competition, have 69 points to Arsenal's 67.

Victory against Wigan and then at Newcastle United on Sunday would guarantee Wenger's side finished above Spurs but there is only a cigarette paper between the north London rivals.

Tottenham, who face Sunderland at home on Sunday, are relying on Wigan or Newcastle to take points off the Gunners and will be encouraged by Wigan's superb display in the 1-0 defeat of Manchester City, although less so by Newcastle manager Alan Pardew's comments that he would not care if his side lost 4-0 to Arsenal now that they had secured top-flight safety.

Wenger believes Arsenal's strong end-of-season run will see them over the line at Tottenham's expense.

"We are on a remarkable run and have been hugely consistent and our destiny is in our hands," said Wenger, whose side have won six of their eight league games since losing 2-1 to Tottenham at White Hart Lane in March.

"Two months ago our destiny was not in our own hands; today it is. So let's finish the job."

The odds are against Wigan's survival, especially after the physical and emotional energy they used up in the Cup final.

They have 35 points, four behind Sunderland who are fourth from bottom and five behind Aston Villa.

However, should they beat Arsenal, as they did last year at the Emirates, they would set up a relegation-decider at home to Villa on Sunday.

Manager Roberto Martinez, who inspired his players to stave off relegation last season, said the Cup final would not hamper his side's chances of another great escape.

"It was a moment that changed the perception of our club for millions of people outside the UK and that is really positive but it doesn't need to affect the next two matches," he said.

Defender Paul Scarner said the match against Arsenal was just as important as Saturday's final.

"We need to win our last two games," he said. "We need to treat this like two more FA Cup finals."

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Rooney booed by United fans at trophy parade

Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed on Sunday that Rooney had submitted a transfer request, although added that it had been turned down. Speaking to MUTV, Rooney did not answer directly a question about what the retiring Ferguson had done for him, and was not asked whether he would be staying or not.

"He has been brilliant for us all," said Rooney. "He is a great manager. He is a winner and to do it for so long is incredible. He is a fantastic manager and a fantastic person."

Rooney received a mixed reception when he boarded the open-top bus at Old Trafford for the start of the parade, although he did play an active part in the celebrations as it made its slow way along the route into the centre of Manchester, where huge numbers of United fans turned out to acclaim their team.

With 20,000 fans packed into Sir Matt Busby Way, roads had to be closed prior to the Red Devils' departure. And whilst there was space along the main route into the city centre, once the bus headed down the main shopping area, Deansgate, supporters found a variety of vantage points to see the team drive past.

Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Young, who at times ditched the crutches he is supposed to be using to nurse an ankle injury that has ended his season, led the singing, with Ferguson also joining in.

There was a moment of humour, as defender Jonny Evans was asked by MUTV interviewer Helen McConnell, who also happens to be his fiancee, whether he was going to have a good summer.

"Yes," replied Evans. "I am getting married, to you Helen."

But mainly, with the heavy rain that poured down just a couple of hours before the parade began, it was just a celebration of United's 20th title.

It is Ferguson's 13th, and last of course. But the revelry was not enough to make the Scot think standing down in favour of David Moyes, who is also believed to have been in Manchester to witness the scenes, was a wrong move.

"You always think about it (whether you are doing the right thing). But I think it is the right time. I really do," said Ferguson, who also challenged his players to repeat the title hat-trick they last achieved between 2007 and 2009.

"We have a young squad, with a lot of good young players, who are going to get better. The big test is to win it three times in a row."

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Granada late show hits Socieded hopes

Real Sociedad's bid to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in a decade suffered a setback when they conceded a late goal and were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Granada in La Liga on Monday.

Imanol Agirretxe nodded Sociedad ahead in the ninth minute at their Anoeta stadium in San Sebastian but Granada levelled six minutes later when Youssef El Arabi crashed a superb volley past home goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

Carlos Vela raced down the left wing and crossed for Agirretxe to chest the ball cleverly into the net to restore Sociedad's lead moments before halftime.

However, after Agirretxe and Vela both struck shots against the frame of the goal relegation-threatened Granada mounted a late fightback and Recio threaded a 93rd-minute shot through a crowded penalty area to snatch a point for the visitors.

The result left Sociedad and Valencia, who won 4-0 at Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, level on 59 points in fourth and fifth place respectively with three games left.

Sociedad are above Valencia in the standings as they have a better head-to-head record but they have a tricky run-in to the end of the season and host Real Madrid at the end of the month.

Sociedad and Valencia are five points ahead of sixth-placed Malaga after their 0-0 draw at home to Sevilla on Sunday, while Granada are 16th on 36 points, four above the relegation places.

"It's a shame," Agirretxe said in an interview with Spanish television broadcaster Cuatro.

"We had those two shots against the post so we didn't have any luck in that respect," he added.

"Then we tried to keep the ball but we were the ones suffering towards the end."

Under French coach Philippe Montanier, Sociedad have played some of the most entertaining football of the season and are the only team apart from Real Madrid to have beaten leaders Barcelona.

Their golden period came in the 1980s when they twice won La Liga and reached the European Cup semi-finals in 1982-83, where they fell to eventual winners Hamburg SV.

More recently, they spent three successive years in the second division before winning promotion in the 2009-10 season. Fourth place would be their best result since they were second and qualified for the Champions League in 2002-03.

Granada were in the fourth tier of Spanish soccer as recently as 2006 and after winning promotion to the top flight in the 2010-11 season narrowly avoided relegation last term when they finished one place above the drop zone.

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