Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that a positive result at Fulham today is vital to his side's chances of success in the Premier League, even this early in the season.

The Gunners suffered a 3-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa last weekend on the opening day, but did respond with a 3-0 success at Fenerbahce on Wednesday in their Champions League qualifier.

Wenger has admitted that his side can ill afford to give traditional rivals at the top of the table a six-point head start, placing extra importance on claiming all three points at Craven Cottage this afternoon.

He told the club's official website: "I'm confident about the Premier League. Very confident. But we have to come back to reality, back to normal and win this game.

"We didn't start well. So it's very important we bounce back very quickly and do not get too far behind the teams who already have six points. The season has started but we couldn't take off with points. This is a vital game because we must respond to the Villa defeat and recover very quickly.

"We play Wednesday night and Saturday morning this week. So it's very important that we get the energy, the dynamism and the focus straight back."

Wenger will be without a host of first-team regulars for the London derby against Martin Jol's men, including the suspended Laurent Koscielny.