Arsenal are back in Premier League action this weekend as they make the short trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in a huge London Derby. The Gunners currently remain top of the table with ten wins from their opening 12 games, edging ever closer to the mid-season break for the World Cup.
They have just two matches left to get through to remain in first until late December, a marker point that could show their true ability to challenge for the title. The Blues will also be stern competition, with manager Mikel Arteta praising their recent run of form after a tough start.
"They’ve been really consistent," The Spaniard told reporters after Thursday's win over FC Zurich in the Europa League. "The results that they’ve had recently since Graham took over you can see what he’s trying to do and we will be ready and will start to prepare for the game from tonight."
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With their start to the campaign being the first time they have challenged for a while, Arsenal are still under plenty of scrutiny each week to keep up those standards. However, they continue to battle and earn results, even when performance levels drop on some occasions.
It's a win over Nottingham Forest that caught the eye for former Gunner William Gallas though, who told Genting Casino: "I think the win against Nottingham Forest shows us that Arsenal have gone to the next level, if we compare them to previous Arsenal sides. So they had a good response by winning 5-0, which was very important, because they are top of the league and still putting pressure on Manchester City.
"It’s a long season, but with that message of winning 5-0, it’s really good for the club and the players because they have to play the next game against Chelsea and they have confidence. They are not afraid to play the way they want to play.
"It’s always better to go to Stamford Bridge looking for a victory because when you play the game like this you need to have all that confidence around you, that’s why those three points will help them a lot to have a good result there."
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