Football
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Cesc Fabregas deserves to be respected at Arsenal, says Wenger

LONDON -- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has urged Gunners fans to respect Cesc Fabregas when he makes his first return to the Emirates Stadium in a blue shirt for Chelsea on Sunday.

Fabregas, a former captain at Arsenal, left the club to join Barcelona in 2011 before returning to England in 2014 to join Jose Mourinho's side when Wenger chose not to take up an option to bring the Spaniard back to the Emirates.

Arsenal fans were not happy that Fabregas, who once said he would never join another club in the Premier League, is now playing for their London rivals. But Wenger is hopeful that he will be given a nice reception.

"I want every player to be respected and for Cesc Fabregas, when he comes to the Emirates on Sunday, to be respected because he deserves it," Wenger said in his news conference. "He is a great player. It is difficult for every player who has played almost every game this season to be at the top of his game every game, but he is a great player."

When asked whether he regretted his decision not to bring Fabregas back to Arsenal last summer, Wenger added: "Look, the regret I have is that he wanted to leave here. This club and myself had a very positive on Cesc's life, so it is a bit uncomfortable trying to justify myself why he is not here today."

Chelsea hold a 10 point lead at the top of the table over second-placed Arsenal heading into this weekend's encounter and, with just six games left to play, Wenger suspects his side have too much to do to in their belated bid for the title.

"Mathematically it will be possible [to win the title] if we win, but Chelsea has their future and the championship in their hands," Wenger said. "What we can do is to get closer to them and we have the opportunity to do that at home and we want to take it.

"From a good run of form you get good belief and we have a good solidarity. We know that we have passed many tests recently when we were questioned. It was the first time to win away from home at Man City [2-0 in January] and things like that. We have passed many tests and we have another one on Sunday that we want to pass."

Wenger also said he was not expecting Mourinho's Chelsea to play with a negative mindset in their tactical approach on Sunday, as he urged his players to be ready for any challenge from the Premier League champions-elect.

"We want to be at our best on Sunday and find a solution to every challenge we face on Sunday," Wenger added. "Chelsea might not be negative on Sunday. They might be attacking. We have to be ready to face any Chelsea team.

"Chelsea have been very efficient on counter attack and set-pieces as well. To nullify that strength will be very important. We will adapt to what they do and try to find a solution. The challenge for us in top level sport is to find solutions to every problem you meet."

Per Mertesacker is Arsenal's one major injury doubt for the Chelsea game, with Brazilian Gabriel on stand-by to start if the German World Cup winner fails to recover in time.

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