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Arsenal V Blackburn at Emirates Stadium : Match Preview

Wenger wants players to be unbeatable. 

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Arsene Wenger has challenged his Arsenal side to recapture the Invincibles spirit and drag themselves back into the top four of the Barclays Premier League.

The Gunners have slumped to seventh in the table after finally ending a run of three straight league defeats with a frustrating goalless draw at Bolton on Wednesday night.

However, with only five points separating them from fourth, there is still all to play for over the remaining 15 matches.

The Gunners could leapfrog both Liverpool and Newcastle, who play later in the weekend, with victory over struggling Blackburn at Emirates Stadium on Saturday lunchtime.

However, after suffering eight defeats so far, Wenger accepts there can be little margin for error.

"Ideally you want to be unbeaten. Is it possible? I think to prove that it is possible is just to win on Saturday," said the Arsenal manager, whose side famously claimed the 2003/2004 championship without losing a league match.

"For the rest, I believe we have played some great football this season and we have to continue to improve the way we play and focus on that.

"Football has to be a happy moment that you want to share with people who come to the game. We always try to behave like that."

Some disgruntled Gunners supporters are planning to put black bin liners over any empty seats at Emirates Stadium highlighting their claims many fans are staying away because of poor performances which have seen Arsenal slump to seventh in the table.

Wenger has been the subject of increased vocal criticism from some sections of the stands in recent weeks.

The Arsenal manager, though, insists all is not yet lost and the team have to take a distance as they focus on the job in hand on the pitch. Rovers boss Steve Kean has also found himself under fire from the club's supporters this season as they struggle at the other end of the table.

Wenger feels people everywhere need to keep the bigger picture in mind. "It is not easy anywhere nowadays but with the media and the opinions of everybody we live in a constant drama.

But it is not like that," the Arsenal boss added. "We have to stop to make a drama of everything but there are much more dreadful things in life than that."

Wenger continued: "I am here to make all of the fans happy and when I do not manage to do it I am, of course, not happy.

"What is most important is that we have our fans happy at the end of the season. "I know that it is always a depressed job to judge, the immediate situation, but we have a longer target - to go until May with a determined attitude with belief. That is what we want to achieve.

"Overall I feel this team is strong mentally with a good spirit and attitude. "We are ready for a fight and that is the most important thing."

Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 18, will be assessed over a knee problem. Blackburn new boy Bradley Orr has no doubt the squad is up to the task of avoiding relegation.

The full-back joined Kean's side on transfer deadline day after a frustrating lack of opportunities with QPR this season and could make his debut at Arsenal.

Orr watched his new team lose 2-0 to Newcastle at Ewood Park on Wednesday, a result that left them two points from safety, but the defender saw more than enough to be encouraged about their chances of survival. He said: "It's really exciting. It's a very good opportunity for me to come to such a great club like Blackburn.

"After watching the lads perform it's even more exciting because I thought they played really well and were really unfortunate not to get a win, never mind a result. It's a great new chapter for me and something I want to grab with both hands.

"When I look around the dressing room I see some excellent talent, experience blended with youth, and I'm very optimistic about the remainder of the season. Hopefully I can add to that."

Orr was one of three signings made by Kean last month, with Marcus Olsson, twin brother of Rover Martin, joining from Halmstads BK in Sweden and Anthony Modeste making the move from Bordeaux on loan until the end of the season.

Modeste made his full debut against Newcastle and is likely to keep his place with top scorer Ayegbeni Yakubu serving the last of a three-game ban and David Goodwillie still struggling with flu.

Captain Christopher Samba will definitely miss a third successive game, with Kean saying the defender, who had a transfer request turned down, was fit and available but would not be in the squad. 

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Chelsea V Man Utd at Stamford Bridge : Match Preview

MY best memory was on the bench - TorresFernando Torres has admitted he might have given up all hope of succeeding at Chelsea but for the support of the club's fans.And the World Cup-winning striker has revealed that one of the greatest memories of his career was off the field when a substitute at Wolves while the supporters chanted his name.Torres marked a year at Stamford Bridge this week but it was hardly an anniversary to celebrate for the 27-year-old, who remains on course to be remembered as one of the most expensive flops in the history of football.The #50million man has scored just five times in 44 Chelsea appearances since last January's move from Liverpool and is currently on his longest goal drought yet.Three and half months, 17 games, or 1,000-plus minutes - whichever way you look at it, the statistics make grim reading for the Spain striker.But at least he is being given the chance to end his long wait, having started every game in 2012 while Didier Drogba is on African Nations Cup duty.The same could not be said back in November, when he lost his place to Drogba, with the only thing keeping him going was the comfort of knowing the fans still backed him."I would like things to be much better but the support they give me every day is amazing," Torres told Chelsea TV."I remember a game against Wolverhampton and I was on the bench, and they were still singing my name."I've been very lucky to live very good moments but that game, when I was in the middle of nothing and not playing, was maybe the best memory I have in all my career."At the beginning of the season, I went through a hard moment, I was not playing, things were wrong and I was eight games without playing - I had never been in this situation before."The only thing that gave me hope was the support of the people."That game against Wolverhampton showed me there are important things to fight for, the love of the fans, the support of the club."My team-mates as well but the fans are the ones who have always been there from the first day until now."Torres acknowledged that would be difficult without the injured John Terry and Ramires and the suspended Ashley Cole, while he hoped Frank Lampard would be passed fit after the calf injury that has kept the midfielder out of the last two matches.Even if Lampard plays, Sunday's game could see Michael Essien start for the first time this season.The 29-year-old has made four successive substitute appearances since returning from his latest bout of knee surgery, something he admitted was "heartbreaking".Manchester United midfielder Ji-sung believes the club's impressive list of previous triumphs has created unrealistic expectations for the current team.Sir Alex Ferguson is currently embroiled in a spat with Match of the Day pundit Alan Hansen about the merits of the present United side.Ferguson has reacted with incredulity over Hansen's claim that United are woeful, and have been for 18 months.As Ferguson correctly pointed out on Friday, having won last year's title by nine points, reached the Champions League final and the FA Cup semi-final, they must have been doing something right.However, as Park acknowledges, the absence of a star performer in the mould of Cristiano Ronaldo has meant the Red Devils lack the stardust associated with recent campaigns.And whilst their results stand positive comparison with any previous seasons, it has been impossible to emulate the swashbuckling style of old."It might be that before we scored a lot of goals and that has a big impact on the fans," the South Korea midfielder said."Their expectations become too high."Maybe also because we are out of the Champions League and the FA Cup, people think Manchester United is no good."But we can show our strength on the pitch. We are still producing good performances, we are level with Manchester City and can still win the title."It is a matter of amazement to some that United are in their present position despite and obvious failure to reinforce the midfield.The only transfer window arrivals were a reserve-team player from Manchester City - Frederic Veseli - and 37-year-old Paul Scholes, who abandoned his retirement.With Wayne Rooney, Nani, Ashley Young and Tom Cleverley all set to return, United's resources are being strengthened significantly, even if Darren Fletcher and Nemanja Vidic will be sidelined for the rest of the season and questions continue to be asked of David de Gea, who is set to start in goal.end

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Newcastle V Aston Villa at Sports Direct Arena : Match Preview

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Krul wants top six finishNewcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul is in no mood to be patted on the back as he and his team-mates continue to defy their doubters.The Magpies climbed to fifth place in the Barclays Premier League table as a result of a hard-fought victory over Blackburn at Ewood Park on Wednesday night.Krul, whose penalty save from David Dunn proved crucial, is thrilled to see the men from Tyneside continuing to confound their critics.However, despite having seen his club defy suggestions their fine start to the season would prove something of a flash in the pan, the 23-year-old Dutchman is refusing to sit back and enjoy himself.Krul said: "We really want to push on for the second half of the season because we are up there and the chance is there."We really have to push on. I don't think we should rest on our laurels, we just have to really crack on now."We have got a fantastic squad and if we can prove we are a top-six team at the end of the season, that will attract more players to the club and then we can really push on."Alan Pardew's squad will be boosted for Sunday's game by their sole January signing, former Freiburg striker Papiss Demba Cisse, who is available for the first time following his return, along with 15-goal leading scorer Demba Ba, from Senegal's ill-fated African Nations Cup campaign.With Ivory Coast midfielder Cheick Tiote still involved in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, the Magpies will be stronger still in a few weeks' time.Krul said: "Demba has been amazing, and to get his mate with him, that's a bonus and I am looking forward to seeing them both back."Hopefully Cheick won't be too much longer because he is a fantastic player for us as well."Newcastle's current standing - they entered the weekend with only Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea ahead of them and both Arsenal and Liverpool in their wake - has confounded those who expected them to slide down the table after their 11-game unbeaten start to the season ended.Krul has been one of their stand-out performers to date along with skipper Fabricio Coloccini, Tiote and Ba, although the Den Haag-born keeper insists the plaudits have to be shared around.He said: "The whole team has been amazing. I am glad everybody is getting praise."The defence in the first 11 games was amazing because we were unbeaten."It's great. We are working hard at it and we stand fifth in the league now, so we are doing great."Aston Villa striker Darren Bent has hailed Newcastle legend Alan Shearer as "simply the best" after joining him as part of the Barclays Premier League 100-goal club.Bent netted his 100th top-flight goal against QPR in midweek but heads to Newcastle still 160 short of hometown hero Shearer.Bent, who will be hoping to fill Shearer's old number nine shirt for England at this summer's European Championships, knows it would be something special if he could mirror the now-retired striker's achievements.He can go some way to maintaining some Shearer-esque form by scoring for a fifth successive game on Sunday, and he said: "I don't think I could ever be hero-worshipped like Shearer was at Newcastle. I'm not sure anyone could."He was a real icon of our domestic game - and world football too. He was someone I looked up to greatly."He is a real legend up there because he moved to Newcastle and stayed up there for the rest of his career. He is a true Toon icon."If I could be half as much of a icon for Villa as he is at Newcastle, it would be amazing. It would mean I was doing something right in claret and blue!"Bent has scored 19 goals in 38 games since joining Villa just over 12 months ago - an average of a goal every two games.He accepts he has work to do to catch up with Shearer, though, adding: "Alan is way out in front in that 100 goals club that I've been privileged to join. He's simply the best striker to have ever come out of this country. I have nothing but admiration for him."He's one of the three very best strikers to have played in the Premier League along with Thierry Henry and Andy Cole. For me they are the best three."Bent can expect a hot reception from the Newcastle fans after his spell at local rivals Sunderland, but he is keen to celebrate Monday's 28th birthday a day early.Villa will give a late fitness check to striker Gabriel Agbonlahor, who missed the QPR game with hamstring and back injuries.end

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