PETER Reid has revealed he is "scared to death" of Arsenal and that he will be at his most petrified tomorrow when Sunderland have the ball.

Reid ruefully recalls looking at his watch at 3.04pm on his last visit to Highbury - with Sunderland already 2-0 behind.

He knows he could be in for a painful 90 minutes tomorrow as all-conquering Arsenal look to extend their remarkable record of having scored in their last 47 Premiership games.

But while the Gunners have swept almost all before them this season, it was their clinical 4-1 destruction of Leeds United last Saturday that earned the Sunderland manager's admiration - and at the same time filled him with a sense of dread.

Reid said: "I was in my office watching the Leeds v Arsenal game and I was on my feet clapping them on at least three occasions because they were so exciting.

"One of the problems about playing Arsenal is that, when you've got the ball and it breaks down, you can be stretched and you're in trouble.

"If you try to have a go at them, that's when you're at your most vulnerable because of their pace, how quickly they pass the ball and how quickly they get the ball forward.

"That scares me to death.

"When we've got the ball, I'll be on the touchline panicking about what will happen if we lose it."

In a way, tomorrow's game is a win-win situation for Reid - who appears, at least for the time being, to have ridden out the storm surrounding his job.

If Sunderland lose, it will not be a surprise; but if they play well and take something from north London, the brickbats that have come their manager's way will be replaced by bouquets.

Even so, Reid is still preparing himself for what could be a tortuous afternoon at the home of arguably the best team in Europe at the moment.

"I saw Thierry Henry limp off in Auxerre on Wednesday and I rubbed my hands - but then I thought, 'Arsene Wenger will only bring in Dennis Bergkamp,'" Reid said with a smile.

"You then see Jermaine Pennant and Francis Jeffers come on, and you remember he cost £10m.

"We tried to sign Gilberto Silva in the summer because I was very impressed with him in the World Cup. But there were other, bigger clubs in the queue.

"He gives Patrick Vieira the licence to get up the park. Vieira was fantastic last season but they're stronger with Gilberto in there. He's handled English football tremendously well."

Arsenal were two goals up inside 20 minutes at Elland Road last week and Gilberto set a Champions League record with a strike after just 20 seconds against PSV Eindhoven last month.

Reid is worried that a similar start to tomorrow's match could leave his gameplan in tatters before they have had the opportunity to put it into practice.

He said: "Last year, we went to Highbury the week after Newcastle had been 2-0 down after seven minutes.

"I told the players, 'Arsenal start very quickly, so let's keep it tight early on.'

"I was sat in the directors' box, and I looked at my watch and it was four minutes past three - and we were 2-0 behind.

"Arsenal are one goal up inside five or six minutes in so many of their games, and you've got to be right on the ball to match them.

"But we've got to remember that it's still 11 against 11, and that they're only humans.

"No one except ourselves gives us a chance, but we got results at Leeds and Blackburn, and at home to Manchester United.

"Bolton only lost to a last-minute goal when they were down to ten men recently, and even the best players in the world need time and space in which to play."

* Sunderland are a 16-1 shot with the bookies to triumph tomorrow - the longest odds offered for a single game in Premiership history.

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