We do not want to take a gamble but the signs he has shown in training are good.
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Wenger admits there were a few question marks over whether Cech would be up to the task of becoming Arsenal’s number one after a season warming the bench with the Blues but he insists any doubts were soon removed.
Since his arrival, Cech has claimed the record for Premier League clean sheets and has played a major role in guiding Arsenal to the top of the Barclays Premier League table.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says attacking midfielders Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez could both feature against Chelsea on Sunday. We are going into a very important period so it is good to have key players available.
Ozil sat out of The Gunners’ goalless draw last weekend due to a foot injury, while Sanchez was ruled out with a hamstring injury against Norwich City in November past year.
A victory over Arsenal earlier in the season has been a rare high point in an utterly forgettable season for Chelsea, with the reigning champions having already lost nine league games this term.
Pellegrini’s team brushed aside a Crystal Palace side enjoying one of their best top-flight seasons last weekend with a comfortable 4-0 home win.
They then moved their fixtures back to Highbury and, although Wenger said at the time of Arsenal announcing their use of Wembley that the club were in a situation where they needed to “either improve or die”, he now admits it was the wrong move. “We have to play every time 100 per cent. For us it is important to have only one competition and work hard during the week”. After that, you will always have haters and people who don’t like you, but that doesn’t matter to me. Goals from Alex, Nicolas Anelka, Florent Malouda and an own goal from Kolo Toure were the difference that day and were part of a five game-winning streak at the end of the season.
Playmaker Hazard has missed the last three matches with a groin injury sustained at Crystal Palace, while striker Costa sustained a bruised shin in last Saturday’s last-gasp draw with Everton.
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The 19-point gap between Arsenal and Chelsea is the biggest in 22 years and the club will surely enjoy their bragging rights to add more to Chelsea’s woes.
