Arsenal prepare for a final push to secure third spot

Arsenal are currently third in the league, five points ahead of both Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, and seven ahead of Chelsea, but all of their rivals have a game in hand.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants Johan Djourou, right, and his teammates to keep things right-side up the rest of the way.

Arsenal host their London rivals Chelsea on Saturday with four teams still in contention for the Premier League's two remaining Champions League spots.

Arsenal are third in the league, five points ahead of both Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, and seven ahead of Chelsea, but all of their rivals have a game in hand.

Chelsea beat Barcelona 1-0 on Wednesday night in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, and Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, has warned it would be a "massive mistake" to think their opponents will be distracted by their European exploits.

"We want to focus on our performance; let's not expect any lack of focus from Chelsea," he said. "They are on a high so it is always natural to be up for the next game."

Wenger, who guided Arsenal to a 2-1 home win over Barcelona in Europe last season, added: "Chelsea were very good at what they did; they decided to defend and only to defend.

"When you choose the tactics they have chosen you have a 30 per cent chance to win the game.

"They took their chances so you have to give them credit for the discipline they showed, for the consistency of their focus on what they wanted to do, and the fact that they could use the weakness of Barcelona on the counter-attack and set pieces.

"The tie is a 50-50 now. If you don't concede at home and you win, in Europe that is always a good result because of the weight of the away goal."

Although Wenger is delighted to be in third place after Arsenal's appalling start to the domestic campaign, which saw them lose four from the first seven games and slip down to 17th, he is motivated by the fact that his club last lifted a trophy in 2005.

"We want more, but where we are at the moment we will be happy with third place because there are great teams who would be very happy if they got there," Wenger said. "You always want more, but you see that the competition in England is difficult. Chelsea are now in the Champions League [semi-final] against Barcelona, but they are sixth at the moment. That means it is not easy.

"We want to win our next game and that is the only way we can secure our qualification" to the Champions League.

Arsenal have won nine of 11 Premier League games to force themselves back into the top four.

"We feel that as a team we have improved during the season and it is important now to finish in a strong way. That gives us confidence to do well at the start of next season," Wenger said. "We played the first seven games and lost four. It is difficult after that to win the championship."

Roberto Di Matteo, the Chelsea manager, will be without the midweek goal hero Didier Drogba against Arsenal.

The caretaker coach revealed that Drogba picked up an injury in the Barcelona game that has left him in a race against time to be fit for Tuesday's second leg.

Drogba was hailed and castigated in almost equal measure after his Jekyll-and-Hyde performance that saw him score the winner but also roll around theatrically several times after being challenged.

The Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed he had "had a word" with Ashley Young about the winger's own tendency to go down easily, but suggested that Drogba's antics at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday were much worse.

Asked if he would have a similar conversation with Drogba, Di Matteo said: "No, because I don't see any reason why I should have a conversation like that."

twitter

Follow us