Perhaps Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal players will see the Premier League game against Stoke City today as a bit of an inconvenience to be gotten over before the more serious business of trying to win the Europa League gets underway, but they must not treat the game as such.
Hopefully the result will be something of a formality, with the Gunners having won our last 12 home games against the Potters, which is the longest winning run in our Premier League history. We must not allow it to become an unlucky 13 and not just because we need the three points to make the gap between us and chasing Burnley a bit more comfortable.
Arsenal should really be looking forward to this game today as it gives a great chance to sharpen up and gain confidence before the Russian club CSKA Moscow comes to London on Thursday. After an international break we sometimes see a team take some time to get back up to speed but we do not have much time before this crucial home tie in Europe and we need to be at our best.
Arsenal must not assume victory over Stoke but if we take it seriously and play as we can then it should result in a resounding win that will do us all the power of good. COYG!
Bob.