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LONDON. — Petr Cech insists shell-shocked Arsenal will make amends for their Champions League soccer meltdown by winning this weekend’s north London derby, while troubled Jose Mourinho has received a welcome boost from midweek hero Willian ahead of Chelsea’s tricky trip to Stoke.
Arsene Wenger’s side suffered a potentially fatal blow to their chances of making the last 16 in Europe’s elite club competition after crashing to a dismal 5-1 loss against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
The Gunners’ joint-heaviest European defeat leaves them in severe danger of missing the knockout stages for the first time in 16 years.
But veteran goalkeeper Cech knows they have a chance to erase those painful memories when they return to English Premier League action against arch-rivals Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow.
“Every game comes thick and fast and you have to make sure you recover and move onto the next one,” said Cech, whose second placed team have won their last five league matches and are behind leaders Manchester City on goal difference.
“The defeat to Bayern is tough to take but in a way you have to accept the team you played was superior to us in everything they have done.
“In terms of the league, you have to make sure you are ready for the next game.”
Per Mertesacker has also warned Arsenal’s title challenge could crumble in the North London derby.
Mertesacker gave a damning assessment of the humiliating defeat at Bayern Munich and claimed Arsenal “played without courage.”
The Germany defender says Arsenal must recover quickly – or face further embarrassment against Tottenham.
The Gunners shipped five goals in Munich as their Champions League campaign hit a new low to leave them facing being relegated to the Europa League.
Arsenal are missing key players through injury – including Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Aaron Ramsey – and Mertesacker warns unless they get them back fast and solve their defensive issues their season will fall apart.
Mertesacker said: “We will learn a lot from this game, we must learn a lot and we have to play better against Tottenham.
“We need to switch on, put away negative energy and fight back. But if we are to beat Tottenham then we have to recover quickly.
“We have played well recently, defended well and that’s what we must focus on. We must remember those games, try to move on from this performance and focus on beating Tottenham. We have to analyse quickly and get players back quickly.”
Mertesacker was fierce in his criticism of Arsenal’s lame surrender against Munich but claims they can still reach the Champions League knock-out stages.
Manager Arsene Wenger has reportedly been handed a triple injury boost ahead of this weekend’s north London derby with Laurent Koscielny, Mikel Arteta and David Ospina set to return to Arsenal’s squad.
Koscielny was absent for Wedensday’s 5-1 defeat to the hands of Bayern Munich and was sorely missed in the heart of the Gunners’ defence.
The French defender has been a rock for Wenger’s side throughout their bright start to this campaign and is set to return to the starting line-up.
Club captain Arteta has returned to full fitness and is ready for a place on the substitutes bench, while David Ospina has recovered from a problematic shoulder injury.
Fifth placed Tottenham’s hopes of avenging their League Cup loss against Arsenal earlier this season won’t be helped by their gruelling schedule over the last week.
Mauricio Pochettino’s team beat Aston Villa on Monday then hosted Anderlecht in the Europa League on Thursday, leaving them with little recovery time before facing Arsenal.
“We need to take the schedule and not complain about that,” Pochettino said.
“It’s true this is not the best condition but we need to be ready and we need to take the excuse away from the players.”
Mourinho will remain firmly in the spotlight when Chelsea visit Stoke today, even though the beleaguered Blues boss won’t actually be at the Britannia Stadium.
The 52-year-old isn’t allowed any contact with his team as he serves a one-match stadium ban following his half-time dismissal at West Ham last month. It will be fascinating to see how Chelsea’s players respond to Mourinho’s temporary absence given the numerous reports of a dressing room mutiny against the manager.
The crisis-torn English champions are languishing in 15th place, although Mourinho got some much-needed breathing space on Wednesday with a vital 2-1 win over Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League.
Brazil winger Willian, whose sublime free-kick saw off Kiev, insisted results will continue to improve, starting at Stoke, who recently knocked Chelsea out of the League Cup.
“Confidence is coming for us and the results are coming as well,” Willian said.
“We have to keep going and keep fighting on the pitch. We lost some games and it’s been difficult for us but we are trying to play better.”
Manchester City provide daunting opposition for Aston Villa’s new manager Remi Garde when the Frenchman takes charge of the division’s bottom club for the first time tomorrow.
City secured their place in the Champions League last 16 with two games to spare thanks to an impressive 3-1 win at Sevilla in midweek.
In contrast, Villa were beaten for the ninth time in 11 league matches this season as former Lyon boss Garde watched from the stands at Tottenham on Monday ahead of the official start of his reign.
“I am confident, it’s 28 games to go. If we start winning things will change,” Garde said of Villa’s chances of avoiding a first relegation since 1987.
Naturally, City manager Manuel Pellegrini has no intention of extending a warm welcome to Garde on the pitch and he called on his players to maintain their momentum.
“I think we must continue with the same personality as this and work the same in Europe and the Premier League. I don’t divide the competitions. I have a team and I want to play as we did in Seville,” Pellegrini said.
After ending their three-game goal drought with a 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow, fourth placed Manchester United host West Bromwich Albion.
Fixtures
Today: Bournemouth v Newcastle (2:45pm), Leicester v Watford, Manchester United v West Brom, Norwich v Swansea, Stoke v Chelsea (7:30pm), Sunderland v Southampton, West Ham v Everton
Tomorrow: Arsenal v Tottenham (6pm), Aston Villa v Manchester City (3:30pm), Liverpool v Crystal Palace (6pm) — AFP.
Online Reporter