Robin Van Persie coming back to the club he called home for eight years, as an English Premier League champion with Manchester United, really is the worst possible scenario that any Arsenal fan could have imagined when the Dutchman made a controversial move to Old Trafford last summer.
However, that will be a reality, as with Arsenal set to give a guard of honor to the United players, including Van Persie, ahead of their crunch Premier League game at the Emirates.
At the end of the day, Van Persie should never have been sold to one of Arsenal's rivals for any kind of money. If anything, the fans should direct their ire towards the Arsenal board, who seem to only be concerned with making profits rather than worry about trophies.
Arsene Wenger will surely be riled by having to watch Manchester United and his old foe sir Alex Ferguson receive a guard of honor, after clinching their 20th league and 13th Premier League title. That should be the motivation for the Arsenal players for next season, and also the 90 minutes at the Emirates on Sunday.
Arsenal were completely outplayed by United in the reverse fixture earlier this season. Van Persie was allowed to score in the third minute, thanks to a mistake from Thomas Vermaelen, and United romped to a 2-1 victory, which really should have been much more skewed in the Red Devils' favor.
If Arsenal play anything like they did in that game, or indeed against Fulham last weekend, then they will be in for another walloping, even if United might not have anything to play for.
Arsenal do though. A top-four place is at stake with Chelsea and Tottenham fighting all the way for a chance to play in the Champions League next season.
The Gunners are currently third on 63 points, one ahead of Chelsea and two more than Spurs, but having played a game more. Three points are a must if they are to maintain their push for at least a top-four place.
Arsenal will be without goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski and the suspended Olivier Giroud, the man who was unfortunately given the job of replacing Van Persie. The Frenchman has scored 17 goals this season, and while he might not have had the same impact as the Dutchman, and probably never will, he has been a decent signing.
So, who will Wenger play up front? He has three options in Lukas Podolski, Theo Walcott and Gervinho.
Podolski seems like the most obvious option, but Wenger has been reluctant to play the German international down the middle this season, while an ongoing ankle problem might cast further doubts over his capability to lead the line for 90 minutes.
Walcott has not been used down the middle for quite a while now, but his pace and directness can prove to be a hindrance for the United defence.
Gervinho looks like the least likely option - although for some reason Wenger seems to like him down the middle. The Ivorian just does not have the ability to finish off chances, and is at his most effective in the wider positions.
Ferguson will be the most relaxed person at the Emirates Sunday, and the manager will be pondering whether to use Van Persie from the start or not, or give the likes of Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck a go. He does want United to break Chelsea's points record of 95, though, and to do that the newly-crowned champions need to win every remaining game.
Ashley Young and Paul Scholes are ruled out, while Michael Carrick and Jonny Evans are likely to be rested, after the duo played against Aston Villa despite carrying injuries.
Van Persie will be the center of attention on Sunday, but Arsenal need to look at the bigger picture and put all the off-field distractions behind them and gun for all three points.
Expected lineups: Arsenal: Szczesny; Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Ramsey, Arteta; Walcott, Wilshere, Cazorla; Podolski.
Manchester United: De Gea; Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Cleverley, Anderson, Kagawa; Rooney, Van Persie.
Prediction: 2-1 to Arsenal
