Chelsea match a must-win encounter, says RVP

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie says his side must beat Chelsea to keep their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League alive.

The Gunners currently sit third in the Premier League, five points clear of Tottenham and Newcastle United in fourth and fifth respectively, and seven points clear of Chelsea.

But all three teams have a game in hand on Arsene Wenger side and the 28-year-old forward is aware of the importance of the clash this weekend.

“We have to win, it’s as simple as that, and I can promise you that we will go for it,” Van Persie said in the club’s Saturday matchday programme.

“We’ve proved that we can perform in the big games against top teams, and it’s up to us to show it again.

“Everybody is looking forward to it, and to bouncing back from the Wigan result because we need to put that right.

“We have everything that it takes to put in another very good performance.”

Monday’s 2-1 loss to the Latics was only the second time in 11 league matches that Arsenal have dropped points, and the Dutch international has admitted that Chelsea will pose a huge threat after their 1-0 Champions League semi-final win in the midweek.

“Chelsea have picked up considerably in recent weeks and had a great result against Barcelona on Wednesday,” he said.

“They defended unbelievably well and were very strong on the counter-attack, with Didier Drogba having a really good game.

“At times they defended with eight or nine men, but you can hardly blame them for doing that against Barcelona.

“If they put in a performance like that on Saturday, it will be hard for us – but it will also be interesting to see how they approach today’s game in the middle of two massive Champions League fixtures.

“They only played two-and-a-half days ago, and had to work hard against a lot of Barcelona possession the other day, so we’ll see what their manager decides to do.

“Whoever starts the game for them I expect them to provide a very big test because they have next season’s Champions League at stake too and will not want to slip up.”