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Szczesny - We've got a real chance

Wojciech Szczesny
Wojciech Szczesny

Wojciech Szczesny is confident that Arsenal can sustain a genuine challenge for the 2014/15 Premier League title.

The Gunners kick off their campaign at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday and are among the favourites to compete for the championship.

The Polish goalkeeper featured in all but one of Arsenal's league games last term and insists the squad are primed to last the distance this year.

"I think if you look at our team and on paper we think that we have a real chance," said Szczesny. "We played well for the majority of last season and were on top of the table for a very long time before dropping out at the end.

"I don't think there's pressure at the moment. We took a lot of that pressure off by winning the FA Cup at the end of last season and had a very good game in the Community Shield against Man City"

"With the experience we've got and the players that have joined our team, we're looking stronger so we can put up more of a fight this year.

"I don't think there's pressure at the moment. We took a lot of that pressure off by winning the FA Cup at the end of last season and had a very good game in the Community Shield against Man City. I think we're enjoying our football and can't wait to get started.

"There's not too much pressure on winning the title yet, we're not thinking about that. We just want to kick off the season well and win the first game."

Crystal Palace will arrive at Emirates Stadium without a manager, having parted company with Tony Pulis on Friday. Szczesny admits he was surprised by the news but thinks the Eagles will still be difficult to break down on Saturday.

"We were in a similar situation last year before the Palace game," he said. "Their manager left maybe 48 hours before our game and they put up a very good fight and we had a tough game. We're expecting them be very strong at the start of the season and we know we have to be at our very best to beat them.

"We're playing the opening game at Emirates Stadium so we think whoever we're playing is going to be there for the taking. We're confident that we can win the game but we're expecting a tough game."

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