With the Gunners currently trailing the Blues by three points, Kompany reckons if there is any pressure at all, it is on the visitors, not the hosts.
“I don’t think there is a lot of pressure for a game like this,” he said. “If you win this game it’s a positive, but we will not qualify for the Champions League by winning this game alone.
“I think the fact we won against Blackpool and Newcastle is part of the reason we are doing so well. The game against Arsenal is just another game against a top four team, and it’s always disappointing when you lose them, but I don’t think we should add more pressure on ourselves.
We know what to expect because they have so much quality, whereas if you stroll into games against sides that you are expected to beat, you will come unstuck
...Vincent Kompany
“I don’t think Blackpool took anyone by surprise because we had respect for them, and if we hadn’t, I think we would have lost. They were the better side for a long time in the game, but because we respected them and kept doing our job, we got the result.”
Kompany believes he will be up against a talented striker in Marouane Chamakh against Arsenal and knows he will need to be at the top of his game to keep him quiet.
“Chamakh is a good player, I rate him,” he said. “I’ve played against him once, but I mainly know him from his time in France.
“He’s a top striker for a top team, so you always have to be careful. You always have to try and put in a good performance, and if the team is ready and puts a performance, chances are the result will be good.
“We’ve not won anything yet, and these are great games to win, but give me the points against the smaller teams and I believe that will get us further.
“We need to keep the work ethic going. If that changes then we won’t be in the position we are at the moment, but if it stays like this, then I don’t see why we can’t push on and keep challenging at the top of the table.”
