Jesse Lingard says Manchester United's players know how important their clash at Arsenal is.

A win for United on January 1 will move them 10 points clear of the Gunners and keep up the pressure on fourth-placed Chelsea as the race for Champions League qualification hots up.

“We take a lot of belief [from the wins against Newcastle and Burnley] and the confidence is flowing at the moment," Lingard said to the United website.

“Away games are always tough and you get your hostile atmospheres, but we're used to that and as long as we stick to our game plan and our tactics, then hopefully we can win the game. Confidence and focus is very important.

"It could be a game where Arsenal have a lot of the ball, or we have a lot of the ball, but we're a very good counterattacking team and a very good transition team, so hopefully we can catch them on the break here and there.

“We've done it most times when we've played them away, so that will hopefully be one of our strong points."