Arsenal vs. Chelsea: Gunners Who Must Dominate to Redeem Wigan Loss

Just when it appeared Arsenal was prepared to secure its place in the top three, a shocking loss to Wigan Athletic on Monday has put the Gunners back on shaky ground. Chelsea will visit Emirates Stadium fresh off a victory over Barcelona, and Arsenal can't afford another setback.

Let's take a look at three players who must step up on Saturday in order for the Gunners to secure all three points. It's unknown what type of lineup the Blues will utilize as they get ready for the second leg of their Champions League semifinal, but Arsenal needs to bring its A-game no matter what.

Wojciech Szczesny

Szczesny has enjoyed a breakout season for Arsenal between the pipes. He's recorded 12 clean sheets in 34 league matches and came up huge several times early in the campaign while the team's back line was working out the kinks.

His performance against Wigan was far from his best, though. The Latics scored twice within the first eight minutes. The first goal came after Szczesny lost a race to the ball and the second after a cross he couldn't handle.

Arsene Wenger should still have plenty of confidence in his young goalkeeper based on his strong season, but he'll be looking for a more complete outing against the Blues.

Thomas Vermaelen

Even though Vermaelen led a resurgence of the Gunners defense after a slow start, there's still room for improvement. One area of weakness has been counterattacks, when it seems like Arsenal has a tendency to lose track of their man.

Vermaelen needs to take charge in the defensive third to ensure everybody remains on the same page no matter the circumstances. There are only four games left in the season, so any mental errors now will really hurt Arsenal's top-three chances.

Chelsea has plenty of depth, so the Blues aren't going to stop attacking. Vermaelen and Co. need to make sure they aren't successful, especially when the midfielders get caught up field.

Robin van Persie

At this point, it's basically impossible to talk about the Gunners without mentioning Van Persie. He leads the Premier League in scoring with 27 goals and answered any remaining questions about his ability to carry the offensive load as an elite striker.

The Dutch superstar has been slumping lately, however. He has just one goal in his last six games and that came against a weak Wolverhampton side. Arsenal needs him to get back on track for the last couple games in order to lock in a spot in the top three.

In the first meeting against the Blues, Van Persie scored a hat trick and added an assist. He'll be looking for a similar stat line this time around.