Mark Hughes: Stoke City players "not fazed" by Arsenal

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has insisted that he is looking forward to pitting his wits against Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger this weekend, as he looks to derail the Gunners' top-four hopes.

Stoke find themselves 13th in the table and can still finish in a Premier League-high of eighth if results go their way over the next nine days.

Arsenal also have plenty to play for as they are at risk of missing out on a place in the Champions League for the first time since 1997 but, despite the North London outfit heading into the game on the back of a positive run of form, Hughes is confident that his men can pull off a surprise result on Saturday evening.

"We certainly aren't fazed by Arsenal, despite them coming into the game on the back of a really strong run of results," he told reporters. "I've always liked going up against them, as a player and as a manager, because they're one of the best teams in Europe.

"They have pace, power and very good technical abilities, so we have to be on the top of our game. We like to upset teams who come here and expect to win. When you beat a side who is used to winning, it is more satisfying. Our record stands up with anybody against Arsenal, so we will use that to our advantage.

"We still feel we could finish eighth, but we know everything has to go for us. It shows how close we all are and it has been a strange season. If you look at the group we are always competing with then it's so tight.

"We need to be more potent, we are aware of that, and we would love to address that over the final two games. We performed well in our last two games and are looking forward to Arsenal tomorrow. We are positive and our record at home is strong."

Stoke have lost just one of their last eight home league outings with Arsenal, winning four and drawing three.