Arsene Wenger takes charge of the 100th Champions League match of his management career tonight admitting that raising his players after their exertions in two huge domestic fixtures may prove difficult.
The Premier League leaders remain unbeaten in all competitions this season but the tense, drawn matches against Liverpool at Anfield and at home to Manchester United tested them in a manner they have not experienced in their breeze through Europe. The task against Slavia Prague tonight requires all the more focus after the Czech league leaders were dispatched 7-0 in their visit to the Emirates Stadium a fortnight ago.
"It's difficult because there has been two weeks where the tension was very high and against Manchester United you could see that tension, so after the game automatically the pressure goes down," said Wenger. "That is why I feel some players are tired and why I chose to change some players.
"But we are experienced in the Champions League and we know that in every game teams go to the limit. If we think we are going into the game having won the first game easily we will have a big surprise. Slavia will be looking for revenge and for us the danger is not complacency but making sure we get a result."
The Frenchman wants to rest key players before a busy period of the season. Next week there are international commitments preceding a sequence of at least 13 games in six weeks.
Stanislav Vlcek, Slavia's captain and the Czech league's top scorer, is injured. Wenger has chosen to let Cesc Fabregas and Alexander Hleb miss the trip, and Kolo Toure and Tomas Rosicky were ruled out through injury. Rosicky, who was a trainee at Slavia's bitter rivals Sparta Prague, was left behind with a groin problem but a scan suggested he will be fit to feature in Monday's Premier League match at Reading.
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