Wenger: No fear
We have not done well against Chelsea and not done well against Man Utd this year and it would be a good opportunity to show that we can do it against them.
Arsene Wenger
Quotes of the week
Arsenal manger Arsene Wenger has his sights set on a revenge meeting with either Manchester United or Chelsea after clinically reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
The Gunners booked their place in the last eight of the competition with a 5-0 demolition of Porto in the second leg at the Emirates Stadium, a result which wraps-up a 6-2 aggregate victory over the two-time winners.
And now Wenger, who has seen his side lose twice to Premier League title rivals Chelsea and Manchester United this term, insists he is now relishing the chance to gain revenge over either English club should they progress into the next phase on Wednesday night.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "I have a funny feeling, maybe it's good for us to play an English team.
"We have not done well against Chelsea and not done well against Man Utd this year and it would be a good opportunity to show that we can do it against them."
A hat-trick from Nicklas Bendnter plus goals from Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Eboue saw Arsenal clinically overturn their 2-1 first leg defeat to Porto on Tuesday night.
Danish frontman Bendtner struck twice in the space of 15 first half minutes before sealing his hat-trick from the penalty spot with the last kick of the game.
Bendtner's display was the perfect repost after he had drawn ample criticism for missing a number of chances during Saturday's 3-1 victory over Burnley.
Wenger said: "How quickly football changes. I hope that will not give him too much confidence but I am happy for him.
"He had a good game on Saturday but missed plenty of chances and three days later he has less chances and scores three goals.
"It's good for his confidence and I hope it will give him the desire to work even harder."
Frenchman Nasri filled the void left by injured captain Cesc Fabregas superbly in the capital and sealed a virtuoso display with a breathtaking solo goal on 63 minutes.
The midfield maestro weaved past three Porto defenders before blasting the ball past Porto goalkeeper Helton for a match-clinching third goal of the game.
The goal came after a spell of concerted Porto pressure, and Wenger admitted the strike "made the difference" on the night.
"We had a very good first half, we suffered a little bit at the start of the second half for 10-15 minutes and after Nasri's goal it made a big difference and then it was easy," he admitted.
"It was a bit of individual brilliance. But overall I believe we had a very good solid team performance. We had a good solidarity and we played a fluent and pacey game."
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Saturday 14th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 12:45 | Tottenham vs Man City |
| 15:00 | Aston Villa vs West Ham |
| 15:00 | Blackburn vs Everton |
| 15:00 | Bolton vs Fulham |
| 15:00 | Sunderland vs Birmingham |
| 15:00 | Wigan vs Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Wolverhampton vs Stoke |
| 17:30 | Chelsea vs West Brom |
| Sunday 15th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 16:00 | Liverpool vs Arsenal |
| Monday 16th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 20:00 | Man Utd vs Newcastle |
| Saturday 21st August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Arsenal vs Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Birmingham vs Blackburn |
| 15:00 | Everton vs Wolverhampton |
| 15:00 | Stoke vs Tottenham |
| 15:00 | West Brom vs Sunderland |
| 15:00 | West Ham vs Bolton |
| 17:15 | Wigan vs Chelsea |
| Sunday 22nd August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 13:30 | Newcastle vs Aston Villa |
| 16:00 | Fulham vs Man Utd |
| Monday 23rd August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 20:00 | Man City vs Liverpool |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Sunday 9th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man Utd 4 - 0 Stoke | |
| Wolverhampton 2 - 1 Sunderland | |
| West Ham 1 - 1 Man City | |
| Bolton 2 - 1 Birmingham | |
| Chelsea 8 - 0 Wigan | |
| Hull 0 - 0 Liverpool | |
| Burnley 4 - 2 Tottenham | |
| Arsenal 4 - 0 Fulham | |
| Everton 1 - 0 Portsmouth | |
| Aston Villa 0 - 1 Blackburn | |
| Wednesday 5th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 0 - 1 Tottenham | |
| Fulham 0 - 1 Stoke | |
| Monday 3rd May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Wigan 2 - 2 Hull | |
| Blackburn 2 - 1 Arsenal | |
| Sunday 2nd May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Liverpool 0 - 2 Chelsea | |
| Fulham 3 - 2 West Ham | |
| Sunderland 0 - 1 Man Utd | |
| Saturday 1st May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Birmingham 2 - 1 Burnley | |
| Stoke 0 - 0 Everton | |
| Portsmouth 3 - 1 Wolverhampton | |
This week's offering from a sporting week of verbal sparring is dominated by tributes to the late Alex Higgins.
As part of our Look to the Future series we investigate the new 25-man squad rule for Premier League clubs.
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has revealed that he is prepared to sell James Milner, if the price is right.
Fulham are keen to move quickly to bring in a new manager now that Martin Jol has been ruled out of the frame.
Newcastle United have completed the signing of former Everton midfielder Dan Gosling on a four-year contract.
Ajax manager Martin Jol has ruled out a move to Fulham by confirming he will stay on with the Dutch club.
Martin O'Neill has said that James Milner can join Man City if the price is right, while Dan Gosling has moved to Newcastle.