Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes his side can not expect to just defend deep and look to hit Manchester United on the counter-attack if they are to secure safe passage into the semi-finals of the FA Cup on Monday night . The Gunners head to Old Trafford on the back of a fine run in the Barclays Premier League , with sevens win in the last eight games putting them third , now a point ahead of United . The last time Wenger took his side to Manchester at the end of January , they produced what many believe was a pivotal defensive-minded display to beat City 2-0 . Danny Welbeck battles for the ball with Calum Chambers as Arsenal trained ahead of their trip to Old Trafford for Monday night 's cup tie . Arsene Wenger is confident his team can beat Manchester United by playing attacking football as they seek to defend their title . Theo Walcott holds off Nacho Monreal as Arsenal trained on Sunday at their London Colney training ground to prepare for Old Trafford . Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain lets fly with a shot , as Arsene Wenger promised his team would attack against Louis van Gaal 's United side . Wenger says his side wo n't try and sit deep when they face United on Monday night , despite the recent success of that tactic . Wenger , though , maintains a concentrated rear-guard action alone will not be enough to see off Louis van Gaal 's side , who continue to grind out results despite a wave of criticism over their style of play . 'At Manchester City , we scored the first goal , then we were on a defensive foot because they had to come out , and that ( who scores first on Monday night ) is not predictable today ( before the game ) , ' said Wenger . 'But what is for sure is both teams will go for it , so that means we will have to attack well and defend well . ' Arsenal won against City despite having only 35 per cent possession . Wenger knows it is more about what you do when you have the ball than how long you keep hold of it . The Gunners squad are put through their paces as they look to reach Wembley for the third time in two years . Francis Coquelin , whose return to the club from loan has coincided with Arsenal 's good form , runs with the ball during training . Arsenal 's World Cup winning playmaker Mesut Ozil has been in top form since returning from injury , and has never lost an FA Cup game . Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez , who scored a brilliant goal in midweek against QPR , prepares for his first trip to Old Trafford . 'You have to analyse it . You also have to look at ways of possession - is it in your own half or is it in the opponents half ? If it is in your half , it can be a bit illusionary possession , ' said the Arsenal boss . ' I still think possession is an important part of the game - you can not go into a game and say you do not want the ball . 'Sometimes you do not have the ball because your opponent is better , sometimes you are leading 1-0 or 2-0 and your team is focused on defending the advantage . Aaron Ramsey goes for a sprint during the Sunday-morning training session at the Gunners ' Hertfordshire base . Coquelin , playing with a mask after breaking his nose in last weekend 's win over Everton at the Emirates stadium , stretches out . Per Mertesacker , whose place in the Arsenal team was in doubt before an injury to Gabriel , gestures to his team-mates during the session . Tomas Rosicky attempts to control the ball as Walcott , Mertesacker and Ramsey watch , as the Gunners players enjoyed themselves in training . Laurent Koscielny puts in the effort with a sprint as Wengers ' team got ready for the vital game at Old Trafford . Arsenal 's highly-rated Irish 17-year-old Dan Crowley trained with the first team ahead of the FA Cup quarter-final . 'But overall I still think it is very important that the sport rewards people and teams who take initiative . ' Despite the inconvenient kick-off time for the final televised FA Cup quarter-final , Arsenal expect some 9,000 supporters to make the journey to the north-west . Two trains have been specially charted to help get fans back to London after the match , while the club have also subsidised 19 coaches .
Arsenal are the holders of the FA Cup and meet Manchester United on Monday for place in the semi-finals . Arsene Wenger has recently had some success with a more defensive brand of football than he usually employs . But Gunners boss says his side will go out to attack against United on Monday Monday night 's .