Wenger: We have to defend better, attack more dangerously

EPL

CHELSEA

ARSENAL

Arsenal have lost on their last five Premier League visits to Stamford Bridge, but the Gunners won their last two meetings with the Blues - in last season's FA Cup final and last month's Community Shield.

Reigning champions Chelsea are fresh from a 6-0 thrashing of Qarabag in the Champions League, but Arsenal also got back to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Cologne in the Europa League.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is confident that his team will give the Blues a good fight when they clash at Stamford Bridge in a London derby tomorrow.

"It's an important game for us," Wenger told Sky Sports.

"The way we deal with that on Sunday will have an importance on our season. But it's very early.

"I'm confident that away from home, we will get the points we want but, certainly mentally for our team, it is important to play well and get a positive result.

"As always, the key is to be much better defensively than we were at Anfield, and to be much more dangerous going forward.

"By not being too obsessed by our opponent and not to forget to play our football.

"Chelsea had a surprising early defeat (against Burnley) but, after that, they have responded very well, to beat Tottenham and Leicester away from home.

"Overall, since their first home defeat, they have played three difficult teams and won their games, so it looks again like they will fight for the Premier League."

Wenger's position has come under scrutiny after the Gunners took only six points from their first four matches, but Chelsea manager Antonio Conte isn't interested in the Frenchman's perilous situation at Arsenal.

Instead, the Italian just wants to focus on his own side.

"I don't care nothing about Arsenal's situation, I care about Chelsea's," Conte said in his pre-match press conference.

"When we talk about it, we will be unlucky. They will solve their problems, we will solve ours."

Despite Arsenal's poor start, Conte still views them as title contenders.

He said: "Arsenal are one of the top six teams in England and I think they have a really good squad to fight for something important - the title.

"For this reason, it is a massive game for us. When you play against Arsenal, it is a massive game, the same against (Manchester) City, Liverpool, (Manchester) United and Tottenham.

"Anything can happen and we have to fight."

Conte added that the game against Arsenal should go ahead tomorrow despite an explosive device being detonated on a tube train near the club's west London stadium yesterday.

At least 22 people were injured after a bomb exploded on a packed London Underground train during the morning rush hour in what police are treating as a "terrorist incident".

Witnesses reported seeing a "wall of fire" and passengers with facial burns at Parsons Green station in west London after the explosion.

Parsons Green is only a short distance from Chelsea's Stamford Bridge home.

Conte believes that it is important for the Premier League champions to play Arsenal to prove that terrorists can't disrupt the fabric of society.

"I'd like to say all our thoughts are for the people affected in the incident on the tube," said Conte.

"For sure, this type of situation is very dangerous, your mind goes to the people in this situation.

"I think we have to try to think only to play the game. This is the best way.

"We have to continue, to show we are stronger than them (the terrorists)." - WIRE SERVICES