Wenger wants his young Gunners to deliver their potential by beating Chelsea
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has told his young team to prove their "moment has come" as they prepare to host Premier League leaders Chelsea on Sunday.
The Blues are eight points ahead of their London rivals, with the pressure mounting on Arsenal who are seeking to win their first trophy since 2005.
"There is a period for any team to come out and show its strength. For my team, this moment has come," said Wenger.
"We have the strength and we want to show we're strong enough to beat them."
Wenger's side are third in the table and have a game in hand over Chelsea, and a win for the Gunners would close the gap to just five points.
Defeat however, would make a challenge for the Premier League title an extremely difficult prospect against Carlo Ancelotti's pace-setters.
I believe for us the most important thing is to stick to our game, do not focus on any special individual on the other side
Arsene Wenger
The Arsenal boss is placing his faith in a young side, who he believes is well equipped to handle the responsibility of delivering silverware.
"We are not anymore a team that has to be considered to be young," he added.
"I believe for us the most important thing is to stick to our game, do not focus on any special individual on the other side, because you win these kind of games by dominating the game.
"If we focus too much on Chelsea it won't help us."
An intriguing clash is made all the more challenging for Arsenal as Chelsea have the benefit of a fully-fit squad, while the Gunners are hoping that William Gallas is fit to play after an eye injury.
Ancelotti has made a fine start in his first season at Stamford Bridge, with wins over both title holders Manchester United and Liverpool, while - like his Arsenal counterpart - steering his side into the last 16 of the Champions League.
The Italian, however, insists that the outcome of Sunday's game will not have any ultimate bearing on the destination of the title.
"This is not a decisive match for Chelsea or for Arsenal," he said.
"It's an important match. Arsenal will want to win the game, and Chelsea also, but it's not decisive for the title.
"It would be 11 points if we won, but Arsenal would have a game in hand. It's not so important for the title.
Ancelotti is an admirer of Arsenal's brand of football and knows the Blues are in for a testing afternoon at the Emirates.
He explained: "It is a very important game because Arsenal are one of the most important teams in England and Europe.
"They're playing very well. I like their style - they try to play and attack to create difficulties for the other teams. It will be a very good test for us."
Chelsea have Frank Lampard available, after the midfielder completed a recovery from a thigh muscle tear.
And Ancelotti knows just how vital the England international's presence will be for the London derby.
"He has worked incredibly hard for many, many hours and he is in good condition," he added.
"Arsenal have very good midfielders who we have to control."
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
Bookmark with:
What are these?