After two big wins in a week, Mikel Arteta claimed his side are super motivated to make three in a row when we visit Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
We sit top of the Premier League table going into the contest against second-placed Chelsea and having defeated Spurs and Bayern Munich since returning from the international break, full focus is on the next big contest.
He said: "After beating Spurs at home, then we had to make another statement against Bayern Munich, we’ve done that, and now we have to go to the next one.
"That’s where we are, we knew the importance of the week, not only that, but what is coming after three days is going to be exactly the same, nothing is going to change. We are super motivated for the game.
"It’s a big game, it’s a big London derby, we’re going to play a really good opponent, and they are in really good form. We know the challenge, we know the opportunity that we have as well on Sunday, so we are fully prepared for it."
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Our last three matches have seen Mikel Merino feature in the striker position, during which he bagged an assist in the 4-1 win over Tottenham and against Sunderland at the start of the month.
During his pre-match press conference, Arteta praised the Spaniard for his contribution with Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus all working their way back to fitness.
He said: "He brings other things to the table: his intelligence, the way he competes, the way he masters a lot of the things that are crucial for us. In any player, he's got them. Then he's a real threat. The other night he could have scored two goals, he was involved in many positive actions, and his work rate was unbelievable."
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