Ignore Arsenal vs. Manchester United and watch something with real meaning

Arsenal. Manchester United. Two of the biggest teams in England, or in Europe or even in the whole wide world. Just mentioning either name conjures up memories of trophy-winning celebrations and superstar players scoring wondergoals in those legendary shirts. Mention both names, and you think back on all the incredible matches they've had against each other over the years.

Their rivalry gets renewed this weekend, as Arsenal are hosting Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium in London on Sunday. Tens of thousands of fans will fill the stadium, and millions around the world will watch -- but you shouldn't pay one bit of attention to this match.

No, this isn't some ham-fisted protest, a poorly-organized "against modern football" session of tilting at windmills or the like. There will probably be some of that this weekend -- ticket prices are still insane after all -- but rather, this is about the quality of the current state of this rivalry, or it's surprising lack thereof.

In the grand scheme of things in English football, this rivalry has stopped mattering. There are no real, long-term title implications involved. Sure, Manchester are sitting on top of the table, but the reality of the Premier League right now is that as soon as Manchester City and Chelsea get their act together, they'll go back to contending with one another for the title, while everyone else fights for third place.

So instead of a match between title contenders, we get a match with a listless and unexciting Arsenal side that we know is going to finish fourth, and a pretty boring Manchester United side who have been over-achieving and are due to come back to earth some time soon. Both teams are so badly beaten up you won't even get to see them play at their potential best. Not that their matches have been all that exciting of late anyways -- in their last five matches nine total goals were scored, including 1-1 and 0-0 draws. Thrilling stuff, really.

The worst thing is that this isn't even the first year their rivalry has been like this. It is the third year of Arsenal and Manchester United trying to figure out who the least-bad megarich English team is. The last two years Arsenal has "won" that argument, though it looks like Manchester has a leg up for this season. But does that really matter? Who finished third and who finishes fourth in the Premier League doesn't matter except to see who gets scared by some middling European team in Champions League qualifying before realizing that they're way better and steamrolling them. There's just no justification in recent history to get excited about this match

So instead, why not watch a match that could be exciting and interesting and meaningful? At the same time Manchester and Arsenal are flailing around in London, Swansea City and Tottenham Hotspur will be squaring off in Wales. Spurs are riding a three-match winning streak in the league and have just one loss all season, and Mauricio Pochettino has his team playing high-quality football and looking very strong in doing so. It's been a bit unorthodox at times, but that's part of the fun, really.

While Swansea have won just one of their last four matches in the league, they were the first team to beat Manchester United this season and have been a competitive and difficult opponent in every match so far. Garry Monk is utilizing a versatile and talented side well, and Swansea have rarely looked overmatched this season. Swansea may just sit in 11th place in the league right now, but they're three measly points behind sixth-place Tottenham, who themselves are just a point behind their North London rivals sitting in fourth -- Arsenal. A win in this match could help either Tottenham or Swansea start putting together a real challenge on the top four in the Premier League, an injection of fresh blood that England desperately needs right now.

That match, while lower down the table and lacking the star power of Arsenal-Manchester United, looks like one that will have significantly more excitement and competitive meaning in it.

So do yourself a favor: don't watch a game with nothing on the line between two teams that matter less than you think they do right now. Watch a game between two teams looking for a fight and looking to upset the balance. That's more exciting. That's more interesting. That's something well worth your time.