Wenger still adamant Gunners can have role in the title race

Defiant Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger maintains his team will "still have our say" in the destiny of the Premier League title.

The Gunners were knocked off top spot following their 1-0 defeat at title rivals Manchester United on Monday night.

However, should this weekend's fixtures survive the latest bout of Arctic conditions which are set to sweep across Britain, Arsenal could find themselves back at the summit come full time today if they beat Stoke at Emirates Stadium.

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United are scheduled to go head-to-head with Chelsea tomorrow, while third-placed Manchester City, level on points with the Gunners, host Everton on Monday night.

Given Chelsea will visit Emirates Stadium on December 27 and City are the visitors on January 5, Wenger knows his team's destiny remains very much in their own hands.

"We are disappointed because we lost at Manchester United, but we have an opportunity to go back to winning habits at home," the Arsenal manager said. "What is positive is if you look overall at our situation, we are still in a strong position because we still play Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City at home, Liverpool as well.

"More than ever, we will still have our say in this league."

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Wenger, though, accepts the fact one or both of their title rivals are set to drop points at Stamford Bridge on Sunday will be meaningless if his team do not produce the required result against Stoke.

"What I want to see is us winning the game on Saturday and then to watch the game on Sunday in a relaxed way," he said. "What is important is we win our games. You cannot always speculate on the results of others – you only have a chance to do well in the league if you win your own games."

There has certainly been no love lost between Arsenal and Stoke in recent meetings.

However, Wenger has called for a line to be drawn under Ryan Shawcross's tackle which left midfielder Aaron Ramsey with a double leg fracture and is sure to see the Potters captain singled out by the home supporters this afternoon.