Chelsea vs. Arsenal: Arsene Wenger's Key Comments from Pre-Match Presser

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he is yet to decide whether Olivier Giroud or Theo Walcott will start up front against Chelsea this weekend but acknowledges the Englishman has made a strong case for inclusion with his recent performances.

The Gunners face a tough task at Stamford Bridge having not won there since 2011 and Wenger refused to confirm whether he would shake Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's hand having clashed with him in the past.

Arsenal will be eager to pile misery on Mourinho and take advantage of Chelsea's poor Premier League form, but the French manager refused to confirm who would lead his attacking line in west London, per the Evening Standard's James Olley:

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Wenger on deciding between Giroud and Walcott: "That is a decision I am yet to make."

— James Olley (@JamesOlley) September 18, 2015"

Giroud is the more natural striker, but he was sent off after a poor performance midweek in the Champions League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb.

Wenger admitted that Walcott's 11 goals in his last 11 starts are making him hard to ignore as the front line striker, per Liam Prenderville in the Mirror: "Yes but every game is different and that’s why I don’t deny the quality of Walcott. I’m happy he has scored so many goals and he shows he can score when he comes on as well like he did in Zagreb."

Fixtures between Chelsea and Arsenal are invariably spiky affairs, nowhere more so than on the touchline where Mourinho and Wenger have often clashed—last season's corresponding fixture saw the Frenchman start a shoving match with his Chelsea counterpart.

Wenger is clearly not eager to bury the hatchet, although he was coy on his relationship with the Portuguese, refusing to answer questions on the matter, per Olley:

Saturday will see Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech return to Stamford Bridge for the first time since he made the switch to north London in the summer after an 11-year association with the Blues.

While Wenger acknowledged that Cech's experience of the current Chelsea squad could give Arsenal a slight extra edge in the match he was eager to highlight the team performance as the key factor, per Prenderville: "A little bit of extra, yes, but there is no big secret other than on the day perform your best and perform together. Our individual performance will be better than what he knows. There is no big secret in that."

Wenger broke his hoodoo against Mourinho when the Gunners beat Chelsea 1-0 in the Community Shield in August—his first victory against the former Real Madrid manager in 14 attempts—and he is looking for a good response on Saturday to the Zagreb defeat, per Sky Sports (via audioboom):

The Gunners can be confident of another victory against the Blues on Saturday as the defending champions have already lost three of their five league games this season, most recently a 3-1 humbling at Everton.

Bleacher Report's Andy Brassell, though, is backing the hosts to prevail:

Arsenal could be without centre-back Per Mertesacker, who has been suffering with an illness, although Wenger confirmed there were no new injuries and Zagreb absentees Aaron Ramsey and Hector Bellerin are set to return to the squad, per Prenderville.

Wenger also confirmed that Jack Wilshere is set to have surgery next week and described the Englishman's prospective long-term absence as a "blow," per Arsenal:

Despite losing on the opening day of the season Arsenal have made a decent start to the new Premier League campaign and currently lie fourth having taken 10 points from five matches.

Chelsea are arguably more vulnerable now than at any other time in Mourinho's two spells in charge in west London and the Gunners must look to take advantage of the Blues' poor form.

A victory at Stamford Bridge would be a huge boost for Arsenal and Saturday would be the ideal time for either Giroud or Walcott to make a bold claim for the starting striker's spot with a crucial goal.