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‘Discipline is key to beating Chelsea'

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain says maintaining discipline is the key to beating Chelsea on Saturday.

The Gunners have been shown four red cards in their past five Premier League matches against their London rivals, and the squad know that keeping cool will be essential.

“It’d be nice to keep 11 men on the pitch against Chelsea this time round,” Oxlade-Chamberlain told Arsenal Player. “I know it sounds funny but generally speaking in the last few games against them, it’s always a big clash with a lot of emotions and maybe some mind games.

 “First and foremost, it’s a massive game and we just need to keep our discipline and stay in the game. I’d back this team to be able to beat anyone in the league on our day.

“It’s going to be a big occasion but we can’t get too caught up in it, we just need to go out and play our game.”

Oxlade-Chamberlain also stressed the importance the home crowd can play on Saturday, and hopes that he can play his part in sending the fans home happy.

“It will make a difference, but at the same time you’ve got to keep a cool head and you can’t let all of that cloud your judgement or get the better of you on the day," he said.

“You know, if you go a goal up and the crowd starts getting right behind you it can push you on. At the same time, sometimes you might end up going a goal down and the crowd can show their frustration and you can’t let that affect you too much because you’ve got to focus on getting the right result and keep plugging away.

“The crowd will be massive and I’m sure the atmosphere will be great. It always is for the big games and we’ve got to use that to our advantage. We need to get the right result so everyone leaving the Emirates happy.”

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