© EuroFootball.com
London's head coach Arsene Wenger said that his team's hopes of winning the English Premier League will collapse if they lose this Sunday against the current leaders Manchester United.
Wenger stated that he is confident that Arsenal can once again emerge victorious, just like they did in September at Old Trafford (when Arsenal defeated Manchester United 1-0), but he emphasized that they would ultimately acknowledge failure in the championship race if his players lose on Sunday and fall 18 points behind the leaders.
He said, "This is a great opportunity to reduce the gap with Manchester United and we want to take advantage of it. We are determined to close the gap between us. We know we can beat United, as we have done it before. Why couldn't we do it again at home? We are in good form, they are too, so it promises to be a game full of hope. I think both teams will fight for victory, as Manchester United is a team that always seeks to score."
Wenger praised the 'Red Devils' for accepting their failure in September and managing to achieve a six-point advantage over the current champions Chelsea.
He added, "They have been more consistent than I expected. Since we almost lost and fell behind by 6 points, today there is a 15-point gap between us. They had the chance to escape from us and they made good use of it, so it gives them confidence. But I believe that we have what it takes to beat Manchester United. Against Liverpool, Chelsea, and Man Utd, we played very well, but we dropped points against teams at the bottom of the table."
Draws at home against Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, and Everton stopped the Gunners from scoring points, but defeats away to teams like West Ham, Fulham, and Sheffield United played their part.
Looking ahead, the coach stressed the importance of home games: "It is important for us to finish the season well and understand that we are very strong at our stadium. At the beginning, we were not confident, but I feel that from October onwards, we feel at home."
Arsenal will play on Sunday without the disqualified defender Gilberto, with Mathieu Flamini expected to take his place on the field, while Freddie Ljungberg and William Gallas are still unable to play. Although Robin van Persie suffered a shin injury during training, there is an 80% chance he will participate in the match, while right-back Emmanuel Eboue has recovered from his injury and will be able to take to the field.
