Sat 20th Mar - Emirates Stadium
By James Dall Last updated: 14th October 2008
Van Persie: Upbeat
Robin van Persie is raring to go for Arsenal after receiving positive fitness news while on international duty.
The Holland striker missed his country's World Cup qualifying win over Iceland with a hamstring strain but has since declared himself fit to return against Norway on Wednesday.
Van Persie endured an injury-plagued season last term, sustaining a knee problem while representing the Dutch that restricted him to just 23 Arsenal appearances for the campaign.
This season, however, Van Persie has already recorded 10 appearances, scoring five goals in the process, and is now fully focused on being a mainstay in the Gunners squad for 2008/09.
"After my previous injury, I made the mistake at Arsenal of kicking the ball with all my force in my first training session," he said.
"I will not make that mistake again. But I do feel very good. I trained hard the last couple of days and all the tests were positive.
"I have been injured a lot lately but whatever the outside world says is not important to me.
"I just want to be fit and play as many games as I can. The entire pre-season went well at Arsenal and in the league too.
"Picking up a hamstring injury can happen to any player at the moment."

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| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Saturday 27th March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Birmingham vs Arsenal |
| Wednesday 31st March | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | Arsenal vs Barcelona |
| Saturday 3rd April | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Arsenal vs Wolverhampton |
| Tuesday 6th April | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | Barcelona vs Arsenal |
| Saturday 10th April | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 12:45 | Tottenham vs Arsenal |
| Sunday 18th April | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 13:30 | Wigan vs Arsenal |
| Saturday 24th April | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 17:30 | Arsenal vs Man City |
| Saturday 1st May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Blackburn vs Arsenal |
| Sunday 9th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Arsenal vs Fulham |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Saturday 20th March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Arsenal 2 - 0 West Ham | |
| Saturday 13th March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Hull 1 - 2 Arsenal | |
| Tuesday 9th March | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Arsenal 5 - 0 FC Porto | |
| Saturday 6th March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Arsenal 3 - 1 Burnley | |
| Saturday 27th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Stoke 1 - 3 Arsenal | |
| Saturday 20th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Arsenal 2 - 0 Sunderland | |
| Wednesday 17th February | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| FC Porto 2 - 1 Arsenal | |
| Wednesday 10th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Arsenal 1 - 0 Liverpool | |
| Sunday 7th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 2 - 0 Arsenal | |
| Sunday 31st January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Arsenal 1 - 3 Man Utd | |
| Wednesday 27th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Aston Villa 0 - 0 Arsenal | |
| Sunday 24th January | |
| The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON | |
| Stoke 3 - 1 Arsenal | |
| Wednesday 20th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Arsenal 4 - 2 Bolton | |
| Sunday 17th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Bolton 0 - 2 Arsenal | |
| Saturday 9th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Arsenal 2 - 2 Everton | |
| Sunday 3rd January | |
| The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON | |
| West Ham 1 - 2 Arsenal | |
| Wednesday 30th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Portsmouth 1 - 4 Arsenal | |
| Sunday 27th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Arsenal 3 - 0 Aston Villa | |
| Saturday 19th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Arsenal 3 - 0 Hull | |
| Wednesday 16th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Burnley 1 - 1 Arsenal | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 31 | 67 |
| 2 | Manchester United | 30 | 66 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 29 | 64 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 30 | 55 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 30 | 51 |
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Replay our live interactive chat following the draw for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
Arsene Wenger is hoping Robin van Persie will be back in contention before the end of the season.
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Cesc Fabregas fired 10-man Arsenal to the top of the table as they overcame West Ham at Emirates Stadium.
Manuel Almunia believes Arsene Wenger's man-management skills are the reason Arsenal are still in the title race.