Stoke vs. Arsenal: Key Takeaways from Arsene Wenger's Pre-Match Presser

Arsene Wenger has confirmed Abou Diaby will be offered a new Arsenal contract if he can prove his fitness.

The Gunners boss spoke prior to his side's Premier League trip to Stoke. He admitted Diaby, whose career continues to be blighted with long-term injuries, has the possibility of earning an extended stay. Arsenal's official Twitter account reported Wenger's comments:

Wenger also confirmed Alexis Sanchez is currently working at maximum capacity, something he could soon feel the effects of, per Kevin Palmer of the Sunday World and Arsenal's social media account:

Further comments from the manager also suggested Sanchez is "in the red zone," reported by ESPN. "You can see that when he plays, but he can dig deep. I think he played his 27th game since the start of the season on Wednesday, if you consider the international games and the travelling on top of that."

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Sanchez has scored 13 goals in 19 appearances across the Premier League and Europe, per WhoScored.com. He has also assisted three strikes and is pivotal to injecting pace in the attacking third. His exploits with Chile throughout the 2014 World Cup highlighted the incisive player's leadership skills, but Wenger needs more options to drive his side forward.

The boss is yet to outline senior targets for the January transfer window, but he is looking at younger players:

The Frenchman suggested Ipswich Town's Tyrone Mings has caught his eye, as reported by James Olley of the London Evening Standard:

Arsenal are three points behind Southampton—who currently occupy third—heading into Saturday's fixture at the Britannia Stadium. Despite winning three in a row across all competitions, 1-0 Premier League successes over West Brom and the Saints have failed to truly inspire.

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

Stoke are due a major scalp. Mark Hughes' men battled away during defeats to Liverpool and Manchester United in their last two matches, both of which they could have grabbed a point from. Only heroics from David de Gea and Ashley Young—who cleared a last-second attempt off the line—stopped the Potters from picking up a memorable point at Old Trafford.

The home crowd know this and are likely to make the fixture difficult for Arsenal, as noted by Wenger:

Injuries continue to strike the north London squad, highlighted through various tweets from the club's official feed:

Gunner specialist James McNicholas recently told B/R UK's Ryan Bailey that, despite a winning run, pressure continues to mount on Wenger:

Arsenal, who are currently sixth, certainly can't afford to slip up. United travel to Southampton on Monday night in a battle which will see at least one of the current top four drop points. Wenger's team have the opportunity to make up ground and will also be pleased to witness West Ham take on Swansea, the two teams who currently sandwich Arsenal in the table.

Stoke have added ball retention to their patented physicality this year and are likely to break forward quickly. Mame Biram Diouf's presence saw the team prevail over Manchester City earlier in the season, while the pacey forward also nearly grabbed the equaliser against United. Stoke have added spring this year, something Wenger must be wary of.

While the manager appears relaxed, he certainly needs to keep the squad fresh. Sanchez has 1,475 minutes' worth of football under his belt already this season, per WhoScored.com, most of which has been spent bursting across the pitch.

Michael Steele/Getty Images

Arsenal cannot afford to lose their match-winner, so it would be irresponsible of Wenger to overuse the Chilean throughout the Christmas period, particularly as he acknowledged his potential fatigue.

Sanchez will be key against Stoke, a match in which his combativeness can offer an energetic answer to Stoke's powerhouse midfield.