Former Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas is aiming to kill off his former team’s title hopes as he makes his first appearances at the Emirates Stadium since departing in 2011 for Barcelona, the midfielder told Chelsea’s official website.
Fabregas’ decision to join Chelsea didn’t sit well with his former fans and the Spaniard will be given a frosty reception this Sunday in a top of the table clash between the two sides.
The respective managers’ relationship means that Arsenal vs Chelsea is always a heated encounter; the fact that they’re also London rivals adds to the occasion. For Fabregas however, the mission is clear – win the game and kill off Arsene Wenger’s title hopes.
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“It’s massive. We are level on games now, we are 10 points in front and we don’t want to give them hope to put pressure on us,” Fabregas warned.
“We have to put in a good performance because we know the Emirates is always a difficult place to go.”
The Blues are grinding out results as they stumble towards a first Premier League title since 2010 but are preparing to face the in-form team in Europe, with Arsenal winning their last nine fixtures in all competitions.
Arsenal also seem to be on a personal mission to exact revenge on all the top sides that inflicted pain on them last year as they dispatched Manchester City and Liverpool convincingly in 2015.