Dowie hoping for Wenger advice

When Iain Dowie was a player they swapped knuckle sandwiches in the tunnel after games rather than slices of pizza.

But whatever the Crystal Palace manager thinks of the Battle of the Buffet at Old Trafford, he still wants to put food on the agenda when he meets Arsene Wenger at Selhurst Park tomorrow.

Dowie believes the Frenchman is just about the finest coach in the world and wants to take him out for dinner.

He shares Wenger's focus on detailed preparation and would love to ask his advice, regardless of what other managers have said about the Arsenal boss's unwillingness to socialise.

Dowie said: "I would love to have a night out with him. I would even pay.

"I would think he is not far off the finest coach in the world. He is outstanding and his recruitment policy has been a revelation.

"My nature does not allow me to be quiet and studious on the sidelines like Wenger and I would not change that. But if you did not learn from him you should not be in the game."

Dowie's admiration for Wenger does not stop him believing Palace can beat Arsenal tomorrow.

He thinks Pascal Cygan could be a weak link in Arsenal's defence and that Palace could exploit a vulnerability at set-pieces.

He said: "This game would have been a worry three or four weeks ago but now we will go into it with a lot of belief and Palace fans will think we can win the game."

Fitz Hall (knee) will have a late fitness test and should play but Neil Shipperley is still a few weeks away after an injection for tendinitis was successful.