Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas says his affection for Arsenal will never change, despite the prospect of a hostile reception at Wembley this weekend.
Chelsea, Fabregas' current team, will face Arsenal in the Community Shield on Sunday. And Fabregas, who spent eight years with Arsene Wenger before moving to Barcelona in 2011, has promised his fond memories of being a Gunner won't be soured by anything that takes place in London over the weekend.
"Whatever it is, it is. The love I have for that club will never change whatever happens and what is the most important is what I have with me are the memories," said Fabregas. "The rest doesn't matter. I have great memories, love and respect for the club. You will never hear anything bad from me about them.
"Of course, it is not the most important game but we want to win and compete. It is a big game, a London derby at Wembley in front of all the fans -- it's a nice competition to play in.
"Even if it is a preseason game you still want to win. We are not worried that they might be fresher than us -- they started 10 days before us -- but we are competitors, we will want to win and it will probably be a great game."
Manchester United and City have invested in some big-name reinforcements this summer to strengthen their squads for the upcoming Premier League season. And Fabregas, who moved to Chelsea for a reported €33 million in June of 2014, believes their increased investment this summer, coupled with last year's spend, will make the league even more difficult for Chelsea to repeat as champions in 2015-16.
"[Manchester] United already spent last year, Arsenal last year too. We spend, [Manchester] City maybe less, then now they spend again," the 28-year-old said.
"They all want to compete and it will be for sure very difficult to retain the Premier League. There are four or five teams who can win it. We will see what happens but we know we will have to fight again."
Chelsea were runaway Premier League winners last campaign, and Fabregas discussed the obstacles they'll face if they are to lift the crown for a second consecutive season.
"People will say United, City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea -- there will always be divided opinions. What we have to do is to maintain the levels of last season because all the teams will be better and that means we will better so we can compete against them to do well.
"It has been important for us to get started again. We know we are one of the teams who started later than others, most of the teams started earlier but I think the method we use for training is the right one to try and compete all season.
"We have a good squad. Let's see if a few players come in but we are happy with what we have and we will try and compete until the end."