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'It's a football game, not a hate game'

Arsène Wenger
Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger says his team must "not forget how we play our game" at Stoke City on Saturday afternoon.

Arsenal have won one of their last eight matches at the Britannia Stadium in all competitions, a 3-1 success in February 2010.

It was during that match that Aaron Ramsey suffered a broken leg, but Wenger believes there is no special rivalry between the clubs as a result.

"They have a little bit of a different style. Against us it’s always a very committed game anyway"

"It’s always a tough and very committed place to go but we prepare ourselves to be at the level of our commitment and dictate the way we want to play," the manager said. "The most important thing is to not forget how we play our game.

"They have a little bit of a different style. Against us it’s always a very committed game anyway.

"It’s a football game, it’s not a hate game. You want to focus on playing football.

"I think we have four draws and two losses against them [in the last seven], and not enough wins, so we have a good opportunity to add one.

"I believe it’s a tough place for everybody. They don’t lose many games at home, they are a stable team in the Premier League and they have a good record against many big teams."