Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny is hopeful he will have no problems in ensuring his former teammate Robin van Persie endures a quiet afternoon on his return to the Emirates next week.

The Dutchman could make his first return to his former club next Sunday a newly crowned Premier League winner - providing Manchester United pick up three points against Aston Villa on Monday evening.

Te former Gunners captain will be tasked with the job of picking a way through a resolute Arsenal defence that has picked up two clean sheets in their last two outings, but France international Koscielny is anticipating a tough afternoon when he lines up against his former teammate.

"I hope we can keep Robin quiet. He is a good player," the centre half is quoted as saying in the London Evening Standard.

"I enjoyed my time playing with him, but I hope we can keep the story with us.

"It will be a hard game for the whole team, but we are still at home and we will try to get the three points. It will be a good game against a big team and I think they have won the title [already]."

While captain Thomas Vermaelen has found himself out of favour, Koscielny and Per Mertesacker have become Arsene Wenger's preferred partnership at the heart of defence. The duo are likely to line up alongside each other once again on Sunday, and 27-year-old Koscielny believes he and his German teammate are the perfect foil for each other.

"We play well together as a pair. We communicate on the pitch well," the former Lorient defender added. "His experience is vital and it helps us work together on the pitch, so we try and talk to each other a lot and it is important at the back to have an understanding.

"Per is a very good player. He reads the ball well. He is clever, attacks the ball and wins headers whereas I can go behind and be quick and cope with the long balls.

"He is good technically so he is good for the defence. Per is calm on the pitch."

Koscielny and Mertesacker has been Wenger's preferred central defensive pairing in their last two games, a 0-0 draw with Everton and Saturday's 1-0 win over Fulham, where the German defender nodded in the game's winner. Belgian international Vermaelen has only started one of Arsenal's last seven games as a result of the blossoming partnership.

Manchester United FC London