Arsenal already against it with chance to gain on City or Chelsea that must be capitalised on

Greg Lea

It is not just Manchester City who face an early test of character this weekend: the pressure is on Arsenal to bounce back at Crystal Palace following last Sunday's dreadful opening weekend defeat to West Ham United.

Arsene Wenger will be wary of his side replicating their poor form at the start of 2014/15, when a run of just two wins in their opening eight encounters effectively put them out of the Premier League title race by mid-October.

Arsenal looked worryingly flat and ponderous against West Ham, so it would be no surprise if Wenger injected some extra pace into his line-up at Selhurst Park.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has looked bright in recent weeks and should be included, while Theo Walcott could be given the nod over Olivier Giroud up top.

Alexis Sanchez, meanwhile, may return to the XI sooner than expected because of the imperfect circumstances; in an ideal world, the Chilean would be gradually eased in as he recovers from a busy summer that included participation in the Copa America, but Wenger may consider it too much of a risk to leave last season’s Player of the Year on the bench.

Given that at least one of Chelsea or City will drop points this weekend, it is imperative that Arsenal take full advantage with a win.

Arsenal already against it with chance to gain on City or Chelsea that must be capitalised on

Greg Lea writes the pressure is already upon Arsenal to take advantage of opportunities with a bounce-back chance against a solid Crystal Palace side this weekend while Chelsea and Man City clash.