Arsene Wenger has demanded a response from his Arsenal team as the club welcomes Welsh outfit Swansea to the Emirates in the Premier League.
After the weekend´s humiliation at Chelsea the Gunners need to claim a win tonight or risk slipping out of the title race. Worse than that, anything but three points against a struggling Swans could see the club scrapping to stay in the Top 4 and the coveted Champions League places. An indifferent patch of form by Arsenal has seen them swamped by title rivals Chelsea and Liverpool. However, after a great first half of the season, a confident display here will keep the team in the thick of it as a title contender.
Wenger will know that a win at home is essential as he eyes this weekend´s clash with title rivals Manchester City, while also needing to play Everton in the next few weeks. It is a vitally important end to March for the club and a strong points return from the next three Premier League games will likely tell us a lot about where Arsenal will finish come May.
Disappointingly for the manager, he started arguably his best available 11 on Saturday and was already on the way to a crushing defeat before Kieran Gibbs was (wrongly) sent off against Chelsea. The Frenchman could swing the axe on some underperformers from Stamford Bridge, especially as some key men will undoubtedly be rested for Man City on the weekend.
Yaya Sonogo is likely to be drafted in to replace Olivier Giroud in attack, while Kim Kallstrom could make his first start since joining the club on loan in January. Lukaz Fabianski could also be named goalkeeper, but whoever plays against Swansea, a win has become hugely important.