Arsenal vs Dortmund

A fantastic result for Jurgen Klopp's side against Bayern Munich has put them back in the mixer for the Bundesliga title but they desperately need something from the Emirates Stadium to remain in with a shout of knockout qualification. They set themselves up very compactly to deal with the threat of the Bavarians on Saturday and will need to do so again, and as successfully, if they are to get any points in London.

They have conceded three goals on their two previous European road trips this campaign, and Arsenal will fancy themselves to break the deadlock with Robin van Persie in the form of his life. Dortmund have only failed to score in one game (all competitions) since August, so back both teams to score at 1.66

Anfield '89

Tuesday, May 26 marks the 20th anniversary of the night Arsenal won the League on Merseyside.
George Graham's side needed to beat Liverpool by two goals to take the title back to Highbury - a task most people thought was beyond them.
Arsenal defied the odds though, taking the lead through Alan Smith's header before Michael Thomas wrote his name in Club folklore with that famous stoppage-time strike.
As you'd expect, we're celebrating in style with a whole host of Anfield '89 content.

Norwich City vs Arsenal

Steve Morison gave the Canaries the lead against the run of play on 17 minutes after some lacklustre defending from Per Mertesacker, only for the Gunners to level just before the half-hour mark, predictably enough through Robin van Persie.
The Arsenal captain then scored again in the second half to take his Premier League goal tally in 2011 to 31. Only Thierry Henry and Alan shearer have scored more times in a single calendar year.
The win lifts Arsenal one place in the table to sixth, below local rivals Tottenham Hotspur on goal difference. Liverpool can reclaim sixth place with a win at Chelsea on Sunday.

‘He is developing well into a team player’

Arsène Wenger says Theo Walcott has become a more accomplished player this season.

The winger has come a long way since his move from Southampton as a fresh-faced 16-year-old back in 2006, establishing himself as a first-team regular in a short space of time.

Walcott returned from international duty with England this week, and Wenger believes the more disciplined wide man has improved the defensive side of his game in recent months.

“I believe that Theo is developing very well into a team player - more than he ever was,” said the Frenchman.

“I personally am happy with the way he has developed this season. He defends better, his link player is better, his final balls are better and he is only 22 years old.

“Of course when you play against Spain for the strikers it's different because you don't touch the ball a lot.

“You know when the game starts that Spain have the ball 70 per cent of the time. You are left with 30 per cent only to have a chance to get the ball, so in 60 minutes you only get 18 minutes for yourself.”

Five ways Arsene Wenger solved Arsenal's defensive crisis and helped them charge up the Premier League table

Former England and Gunners coach Don Howe identifies how the club got their act together at the back after calamitous defending had pundits predicting relegation battle

Arsenal and England coaching legend Don Howe knows a thing or two about defending thanks to his service for club and country, and he has put the upturn in fortunes down to the way Emirates boss Arsene Wenger has tightened up his defence.

The Gunners have traditionally been associated with mean defending and here former England full-back Howe, who managed Arsenal during the 1970s before concentrating on coaching, tells Goal.com how Wenger has revitalised the Premier League club.

Keep calm and carry on

"Arsene Wenger must have been hurting like hell when Arsenal were pummeled 8-2 by Manchester United and then beaten 4-3 in a comedy of errors at Blackburn but you have to be impressed with his reaction because he remained calm and now everyone is seeing the benefits.

"There was no big song and dance after the Old Trafford game. He took it on the chin and accepted the defeat with good grace and never publicly tore into the players although he would have had harsh things to say privately.

"People ended up wondering if he would quit but anyone that knows him will have known that he would stick at it and gradually pull things through and that is the sign of a good manager.

"It is easy to be a manager when you are successful but the real test comes when things are not going well and the way things are developing that shows what a great manager he is because they were facing a crisis. They knuckled down, kept a cool head and worked things out."

Well set for set-pieces

"Everyone likes to see fast-flowing football that results in a spectacular finish but the harsh reality is that the majority of games are won and lost at set-pieces and the way Arsenal were defending the corners and free kicks left a lot to be desired.

"They were all over the place when they were up at Blackburn but now they seem to have turned around that situation because they are now defending them like a group and they are making sure that every player does his bit and that everyone is assigned to picking up an opponent.

"It helps that Wojciech Szczesny seems comfortable at set-plays and he likes to command his box and it will do his confidence the power of good that his team-mates have got their act together and as a whole they will be feel better equipped to repel their opponents in dead-ball situations because they have gone back to basics."

A defensive shield

"That game at Old Trafford and the one at Blackburn really were a jolt to the system that would have had lesser clubs buckle but you have to look at the wingers and central midfielders to see that they have learned their lessons.

"The midfielders now have extra defensive duties and you will see Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey sitting more deeply to give their back four a bit of a shield, while the wingers are under orders to make sure their opposite numbers do not cause too much trouble.

"From a defensive perspective, the midfielders are a lot better in terms of their positional play so they are making sure that no-one can take pot-shots from around the ‘D’, and the way the wingers graft will stop their opponents getting the chance to race forward and fire in those low crosses across the six-yard line that defenders detest."

It takes two

"When people talk about top-class Arsenal centre-halves they never talk about them in the singular because they can only perform when they are in harness, but that was not happening earlier this season and it really told.

"Back in my day as a coach under Bertie Mee, Bob McNab and Frank McLintock were the centre-halves as we won the double, and moving on a few years there was the likes of Tony Adams and Steve Bould or Tony Adams and Martin Keown and then there was Martin and Sol Campbell and then Sol and Kolo Toure.

"Their secret is that they always operated in tandem, but earlier this season the centre-halves were doing their own thing. That was down to the fact that Thomas Vermaelen was injured and Per Mertesacker was new and Laurent Koscielny looked lost.

"Things were bound to improve as everything settled down but they have worked on things on the training ground to accelerate things and make sure the centre-backs are on the same wavelength so that they work as a pair and are confident enough to call the shots when they are under pressure."

The Pat Rice factor

"When they were hammered up at Blackburn there was a clamour from people calling for one of the Arsenal old boys to come to the rescue as a defensive coach, but that over-looked the fact Arsene had Pat Rice as his right-hand man.

"Pat has been around the block more times than he would care to remember but he was the right-back in that Arsenal double-winning side of the 1970-71 season and he will have forgotten more about the art of defending than a lot of younger coaches.

"Arsene might have inherited a team of good defenders when he took over 15 years ago but remember, together Arsene and Pat put together the team that everyone came to call the ‘Invincibles’ when a solid defence was the cornerstone of their success.

"Pat knows his stuff and he will have been able to call upon his vast experience to help Arsene get through the toughest spell of his time at the Arsenal."

Norwich v Arsenal

Head-to-head

• Arsenal have not lost at Carrow Road since Boxing Day 1984. This is their first meeting at the stadium since a 4-1 win for the visitors in August 2004.
• The Gunners have scored 13 goals in their last three meetings with Norwich, securing two 4-1 victories, and one by 5-1.

Norwich

• The Canaries have conceded 499 goals at Carrow Road in the top flight.
• Paul Lambert's side have scored seven headed goals this season - only Manchester United (six) have scored more.
• Grant Holt needs two goals to take his career league tally to 50.
• If Steve Morison gets a goal he will become the third Norwich player to score in three Premier League matches in a row after Chris Sutton and Dean Ashton.

Arsenal

• One goal for Robin van Persie would see him become only the fifth player in Premier League history to score 30 in a calendar year after Alan Shearer (twice), Thierry Henry, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Les Ferdinand.
• The Gunners are unbeaten in all 24 Premier League games in which the Dutchman has opened the scoring.
• Arsenal are on a run of four straight Premier League wins - the first time they have achieved that since Feb-March 2010.
• They have failed to win the last four games in which referee Phil Dowd has officiated - including last season's 4-4 draw with Newcastle which saw them surrender a four-goal lead.
• Victory would be Arsene Wenger's 200th away win with the Gunners in all competitions.

Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs out for four to five weeks, but Jack WIlshere steps up his rehabilitation

Arsenal full-back Kieran Gibbs will be sidelined for between four and five weeks after undergoing a hernia operation yesterday, manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed.

The problem came to light after the 22-year-old sustained a stomach injury in training a month ago, and he now looks set to be out of action until around Christmas.

Wenger told Arsenal's official website : "He has a hernia and had surgery on Thursday. He looks like he will be out for between four and five weeks.

"At first he had an abdominal strain, certainly caused by the fact that he had a hernia already.

"When the strain was healed we discovered that he had a hernia. We had a fear that could be behind it so we decided to do the surgery."

Gibbs' absence was not the only defensive blow for Wenger ahead of Saturday's Premier League game at Norwich City, with Carl Jenkinson suffering from a back problem.

WENGER WANTS TOUGHER RACISM STANCE

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted football should adopt a "zero tolerance" approach to all kinds of abuse.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has this morning apologised for his comments regarding racism in football.
The 75-year-old had said in interviews earlier this week that incidents of racist abuse on the pitch could be settled by a handshake between the players concerned at the end of a match.
His comments drew strong criticism from people within the British game and in UK politics. However, on Friday in an interview with the BBC, he has apologised for any offence his remarks caused.
Gunners boss Wenger maintains any form of discrimination must be stamped out.
He said: "I am against any discrimination. I am for zero tolerance, on the pitch and off the pitch, in the stands, where there is still a lot of work to do in England on that front."
Wenger added: "Racist comments are unacceptable and any discrimination is unacceptable. Sport has a fantastic chance and a fantastic opportunity.
"Football is a worldwide sport watched all over the world and we have a massive responsibility in that.
"I believe there is still sometimes bad remarks, but overall in my sport there is no deep racial problem."
Frenchman Wenger believes while sport is moving in the right direction, wider society still has work to do.
He said: "Football gives you one chance and it is because you are selected on merit and it is easy to identify the merit. In normal society, the problem is much deeper.
"If you are a good player, you play. No matter where you come from. It is not always true in a normal society, but in sport it is easy to identify how good you are.
"That is why sport can be an example for society."
Wenger's Manchester City counterpart Roberto Mancini added: "There is racism in football, like there is in life. It is good that people are making an issue of it. Racism is a bad thing in the world."

Celtic manager Neil Lennon, who has been the victim of sectarian abuse and violence in the past, agreed that Blatter had completely "missed the point" but did not think Blatter would stand down, and defended his record in developing the game in Africa.
The Northern Irishman said: "There is no place in football for racism, it is as simple as that. It has reared its ugly head because of these cases in England, for me these guys (Luis Suarez and John Terry) are innocent until proved guilty but for the head of FIFA to come out and totally miss the point is pretty upsetting for a lot of people who work so hard to stamp that out.
"I don't think he will (step down). He is in a strong position. He is prone to making these gaffes but I think he does a lot of work, particularly in Africa, for the good of the game and I think he is in such a powerful position that I don't think he will step down. Whether he should or not is not for me to say."
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson welcomed Blatter's apology. "I don't know how he has apologised but it is always nice to apologise," said Ferguson.
United defender Rio Ferdinand was quick to react when Blatter's observations became public knowledge earlier this week, and Ferguson has declined to rebuke the centre-half for making his feelings known via Twitter.
"Rio knows the parameters he can go to," said Ferguson.
"He cannot discuss anything involving Manchester United. He can Twitter as much as he likes as long as it doesn't affect us."
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce, asked about Blatter's controversial comments on racism, said: "It's disappointing, isn't it? Sepp Blatter, as always, seems to put his foot in it for some reason or another.
"There's no room for it (racism) at all in the game.
"I had the privilege of playing with Viv Anderson - he was the first black player who played for England - and the abuse he got at certain grounds was horrific.
"In the main, now, I thought it had all disappeared. But unfortunately, it rears its ugly head from time to time, and we must wipe it out, it's as simple as that."

Arsenal vs West Brom

Robin van Persie scored one goal and made two more as Arsenal secured a fourth consecutive Premier League win by cruising past West Bromwich Albion.

Arsenal led 2-0 at the break through Van Persie's tap-in and a Thomas Vermaelen shot from Van Persie's pass, despite not being at their fluent best.
But the Gunners dominated the second period against a West Brom side who only managed one effort on target.
And Mikel Arteta's fine strike sealed the victory after a sweeping move.

Arsenal vs Chelsea

Robin van Persie's hat-trick inspired Arsenal to an incredible victory against Chelsea as their recovery gathered momentum in a Stamford Bridge thriller.

The Gunners captain demonstrated his importance to the team by taking his tally to an outstanding 28 goals in 27 Premier League games as Chelsea slumped again after their shock defeat at QPR last week.

Arsenal vs Bolton

Park Chu-Young scored a delightful winner for Arsenal, who booked their place in the last eight of the Carling Cup at the expense of Bolton.

The visitors took the lead after the break when Fabrice Muamba combined with Darren Pratley before driving his effort high into the Arsenal goal.
Andrey Arshavin equalised for the Gunners with a low drive into the Bolton bottom corner.
Arshavin then set up Park, who curled in his shot into the far corner.

Arsenal have been very reliant on Robin van Persie this season, with the striker having scored seven of his side's 15 goals in the league.
The Dutchman's replacements have failed to make the most of their own chances this season so far, but Wenger may have struck gold with South Korea captain Park.