Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is wary of a Chelsea backlash on Monday, despite recognising the Blues' self-belief has taken a big knock.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger recognises Chelsea's self-belief has weakened but believes their revival could begin at any moment as the teams prepare for their Barclays Premier League showdown on Monday.
Carlo Ancelotti's side have dropped to fourth in the table following a run of five games without a win, offering the Gunners a glimmer of hope they can topple the champions.
But Wenger said: "Chelsea have gone through a period where results are a bit less good but that can happen to anyone in this league.
"We have seen recently that any team, when you think they are on the brink of breaking through, can have a hiccup. Maybe it's just the quality of the league.
"You never know whether it's the best time to play Chelsea. Every game is specific and a new start.
"They have a little bit less confidence than they had in October but we know that winning will be down to our performance.
"We know that on Monday we will play against a top team and we do not expect any weakness on their side.
"We want to put a top-level performance in at the Emirates and show we are masters at home."
Wenger believes Monday's clash at the Emirates Stadium will play a critical role in defining Arsenal's season.
The Gunners have already endured defeats at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford this term and the Frenchman reckons their response to those setbacks will be key to their title aspirations.
They enter Monday's clash on the receiving end of five successive defeats in the fixture, leaking 13 goals in the process.
Wenger knows a precious victory over a title rival would give Arsenal's Christmas schedule the best possible start.
"Of course this is a must-win game," he said. "We have mixed feelings because we came out of both games against Chelsea and Manchester United this season thinking we could have won and that there wasn't a difference between the teams.
"We have a good opportunity to show that in the coming months and that our improvement is bigger than any other team because we are a very young side.
"It's about how well we respond to what happened to us at Chelsea and Manchester United that will be the decider for our season.
"We have played Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool away so our home form in these kind of games will be decisive.
"We are confident over taking Chelsea on at home. We face a big challenge.
"What we want is to produce an intelligent game full of dynamism. That is the only way we can win these big games."
Arsenal enter the Christmas period second in the table and even Wenger wonders at their ongoing challenge for the title.
"I'm surprised that we lost five games - three of them at home against teams who are not normally fighting for the championship - but we're still near the top," he said.
"The good news is that we are still in a good position and have not paid a high price for that.
"Of course our home form in the second part of the season will be the decider."
