'I saw a really brave team when they came to the Emirates and I think they will play with no fear in a beautiful stadium' - Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on facing Dundalk this evening

Arsenal have travelled to Dublin to take on Dundalk with a much-changed squad as Mikel Arteta looks to rotate his senior players in a bid to improve their domestic form.

Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Kieran Tierney and Granit Xhaka are just some of the star-studded names the Spaniard has left in London, but Callum Chambers is back after a horrendous eleven-month injury ordeal.

“We have a few kids here. We left a few players at home as well. There are a lot of games and we need a complete training week as well, which I think is going to benefit us. But we are still going to have a very competitive team to play tomorrow,” said Arteta.

Arteta has been keeping an eye on Dundalk even though this game is essentially a dead rubber, Arsenal are guaranteed top spot while Dundalk can only finish bottom, but the Basque acknowledged Dundalk’s cup success last weekend.

“Well, first of all I would like to congratulate them for winning the cup on Sunday. That is a great achievement, so congratulations to the club, the coaching staff and the players,” said Arteta.

After inflicting a 3-0 defeat last time out at the Emirates Stadium, Arteta was impressed by the Irish side’s bravery and their principles.

“I saw a really brave team when they came to the Emirates and I think they will play with no fear in a beautiful stadium and they will make things difficult for us.”

The Gunners are looking for what that winning formula and will hope to translate their European successes into their league form. Arteta is hoping that their young players can put pressure on the senior side.

The Aviva Stadium pitch has come in for some criticism recently as a barrage of rugby games combined with Dundalk’s European exploits have meant that the pitch has been put under increased pressure.

Arsenal trained at their London Colney base before travelling to Ireland rather than training in Lansdowne Road.

“We decided to come straight to the hotel, and we had our training session in London. Let us leave the pitch a little bit to breathe because it's had two intense matches in the last 72 hours.”

Arsenal suffered the ignominy of losing a North London derby to spurs last Sunday and will be determined to put on a performance as their vociferous fan base will demand.

Burnley are next in the league before the hectic Christmas schedule takes precedence so tonight’s game will aim to be the catalyst to change the fortunes of the North London reds.

“The demands for this football club are the highest. We are not getting the results in the league that we all expect, of course the pressure is increasing.

“But more than the pressure, I would say the responsibility of all of us to make it happen next Sunday and start winning football matches, which is the most important thing,” said Arteta.

Winning is a habit, and Arteta and his players will aim to reclaim that feeling once more tonight and then aim to take it into the league in which will be a crucial few weeks for the Arsenal manager.