Arsene Wenger says Alexis Sanchez cna end Arsenal's poor away form

Arsene Wenger has urged star man Alexis Sanchez to produce a big performance away from the Emirates Stadium when they face Sergio Aguero's city on Sunday.

Two of the deadliest attacking threats in the Barclays Premier League go head-to-head when Arsenal travel to Manchester City. Sanchez has been a revelation since joining from Barcelona in a £30million summer move, scoring 18 goals for the Gunners.

However, only four of those have come away from home, while he was not quite up to his usual high standards in the matches at top-four rivals Liverpool and Chelsea. 

Yes, at Chelsea and Liverpool he wasn’t at his best,’ admitted Wenger. ‘It’s maybe because the team has not been as effective away from home, because when you are a striker you depend a little bit on how much your team pushes forward.

‘But he can use that as a motivation to play well on Sunday. As a team we didn’t play well as we would like (against Liverpool and Chelsea) and it was difficult for the strikers to get good balls. But he has had some good away games, too.’

Arsenal's record against English football’s elite remains a concern for Wenger, who admits three points over City could be a pivotal moment in their season.

‘We are going through a period where confidence is important,’ said the Frenchman.

‘So a big performance could be decisive. I feel we have to play with a bit more freedom. From every big game you gain confidence when the result is good. Let’s focus on going there and giving ourselves a chance to win by putting a great performance in.

‘We want to have a good balance between attacking and defending because we know that City attack very well.’