Striker Marouane Chamakh says that beating Chelsea to get a morale boost is more important than the three points it will bring.

To be clear, the Moroccan is not saying that the three points is not important, he's saying that the morale gained from the victory will in turn help the team in subsequent games.

Speaking to Arsenal TV Online, Chamakh said: "[Chelsea's game] is worth just three points like every other game but for our morale and in order to stay at the top we need to get a good result.

"We did not beat Liverpool, lost against Manchester United and Chelsea – away from home fair enough – but now we're playing at home, we need to beat Chelsea.

"Not just for ourselves but for our pride, we need to beat both Chelsea and Manchester United at the Emirates.

"I think we played really well [at Stamford Bridge], we dominated the game. But in the end we lost two nil, it's sad but that's the way it is. They played a tough but realistic game and we need to use this to win our home game.

"They are not in a good place at the moment and we need to take advantage of this because sooner or later they will start winning again.

"It will be good to take advantage of this month, month and a half of poor Chelsea performances because one man's bad luck is another man's good fortune."

Arsene Wenger is expected to name Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie in his starting XI for Monday's huge clash with Chelsea.

Gunners skipper Fabregas made his return from yet another hamstring problem against Manchester United two weeks ago and has now been declared fully fit for the visit of the Blues.
Fabregas is likely to be joined in the starting line-up by Van Persie, who has been used sparingly after his return from an ankle injury.
The Dutch striker could come in for Marouane Chamakh, who Wenger has revealed is beginning to feel the strain of high intensity English football and could start from the bench against Chelsea.
Elsewhere, Wenger has a decision to make over whether he keeps faith with youngster Wojciech Szczesny in goal or recalls the fully fit Lukasz Fabianski between the sticks.
Manuel Almunia, Thomas Vermaelen and Kieran Gibbs are all still unavailable.

Manager Arsène Wenger says that his team 'must win' tonight's match against Chelsea. Arsenal have already lost five games in the league, far too many for a side hoping to challenge for the Premiership, and cannot afford to lose any more games.

In contrast, leaders Manchester United have not lost any and could go five points clear at the top today should they win their match against Sunderland. Crucially, they will also have a game in hand after tomorrow's round of matches are played.

Wenger said: "Of course, this is a must-win game.

"We have mixed feelings because we came out of both games against Chelsea and Man United this season thinking we could have won and that there wasn't a difference between the teams.

"We have a good opportunity to show that in the coming months and that our improvement is bigger than any other team because we are a very young side.

"It's about how well we respond to what happened to us at Chelsea and Man United that will be the decider for our season.

"We have played Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool away so our home form in these kind of games will be decisive.

"We are confident over taking Chelsea on at home. We face a big challenge. What we want is to produce an intelligent game full of dynamism. That is the only way we can win these big games.

"I'm surprised that we've lost five games - three of them at home against teams who are not normally fighting for the championship - but we're still near the top.

"The good news is that we are still in a good position and have not paid a high price for that. Of course our home form in the second part of the season will be the decider.

"Chelsea have gone through a period where results are a bit less good but that can happen to anyone in this league.

"We have seen recently that any team, when you think they are on the brink of breaking through, can have a hiccup. Maybe it's just the quality of the league.

"You never know whether it's the best time to play Chelsea. Every game is specific and a new start. They have a little bit less confidence than they had in October but we know that winning will be down to our performance.

"We know that [today] we will play against a top team and we do not expect any weakness on their side.

"We want to put a top-level performance in at the Emirates and show we are masters at home."

Tonight is now the most important game of the season. We’ve failed most of the big tests so far, but somehow, we’ve always managed to sneak back into contention as everyone else has been doing the same thing.

Yesterday, results didn’t go our way. Spurs won, United won, City won… even West Ham managed to pull a result out of the bag.

This is the part of the year when someone gets it together. Something clicks. Someone races away, usually with a friend who will last till late March, early April. This year, it needs to be us. Tonight, we can kick start our season again. Tonight, we can have a defensive dream night… keeping Drogba quiet and bagging ourselves a clean sheet against a team we haven’t beaten in the last five.

I”m not sure how the team is going to line up, but if I had my preference, I’d have Chesney in goal. He’s better at dealing with crosses, he commands his box in a more mature manner and he’s got all the shot stopping ability Fabianski has. It wouldn’t be a gamble for me because it’s not like Fabianski has bundles more experience. In fact, pound for pound, I’d say the younger keeper has had more game time after his stint at Brentford. At least we know he won’t be targeted at corners.

In midfield, we know that Diaby is fit… he was for the Stoke game, so another week of training could see him fit enough to start. In midfield, I’ll be disgusted if I see Denilson and Song starting together, that will be a tragic admittance we can’t handle the Chavs with our best players and the chances are we’ll crumble. Cesc is back from his mental injury which will be a huge boost… it’s not often we have him ready for games like this.

Nasri and the rest of the boys have had a nice little break so they’ll all be fresh. Our main man this season really has to get his teeth stuck into Chelsea today. Chelsea’s backline ain’t what it used to be and they’re certainly weaker at the back than they’ve every been before. We need a big game from Arshavin… he needs to be direct, use his pace and work tirelessly for the team.

At the back, I’m sure it will be Koscielny and Squillaci. It’s pretty simple, those two need to have their best game ever for us tonight. They have to talk to each other and they have to get their decision making bang on. Get in tight to Drogba all game and no day dreaming please!

Clichy will be slipping in at left back… please, no calamity’s tonight! Show us the player we saw in 2008… left back of the year! Up front, I’m not sure who he’ll play… I’ve got a feeling it’ll be Chamakh. I’d be happy with that, equally as I would if he played RVP. Whoever it is… pull the trigger on sight and test the keeper!

These players owe Wenger a big game tonight. Rightly or wrongly he’s put his trust into these boys and they’ve let him down. You can blame inept tactics, bad selection and bad luck all you like… but the simple fact is, most of these boys have the technical ability. Tonight, they’ve got to show grit, determination and a truck load of character. It’s time for this crop of players to stop hiding behind age. It’s time for them to man up and show that they can compete with the best there is.

Everyone has to turn up today, especially the fans. Lets have a massive performance from everyone and see where the night takes us! I’ve got a feeling we’re due a result. I’ve got a feeling Arsenal are coming away with 3 points… keep em’ crossed and sing your hearts out tonight!