• Premier League

Szczesny feeling confident ahead of testing month

Wojciech Szczesny says he and his team-mates are focused on a difficult month © Getty Images

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Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny sees the club's tough fixture schedule in February as the perfect opportunity to build on their hopes of achieving success this season.

Two games against Liverpool, a Premier League clash with Manchester United and a Champions League tie against Bayern Munich are coming up for the Gunners in the next two weeks.

And rather than feeling daunted by their upcoming schedule, Szczesny, 23, insists he and his team-mates are fully focused on the games that lie ahead.

"We've got a couple of difficult fixtures now but we look at it as a chance for us to create an even bigger gap between us and the teams behind us. We're looking forward to it and we're very positive," he told Arsenal's official website.

"It doesn't really matter who's top right now. Of course we are there now. It might change, but what we care about is who's going to be at the top at the end of the season."

Szczesny admits he does not really follow other teams' results, although he may be tempted to watch Manchester City's clash with Chelsea on Monday, with Manuel Pellegrini's side looking to knock the Gunners off the top of the table once again.

"I try to focus on my own football and my own team. I don't watch football very often. If it's a big Champions League game then I watch it but Premier League, not really," he said.

"Of course we know it's a big game for the table, we know that Man City have had a fantastic record at home so they will be favourites. I might make an exception and watch this one at home."

Szczesny went on to praise the Arsenal supporters for playing their part in the team's success this season.

The Emirates Stadium faithful have had to wait until late on in games to see their side beat Cardiff, Fulham and Crystal Palace in recent weeks, with the Poland international suggesting their support is vital to the cause.

"The last few games were exactly the same, where teams come here to defend," he said. "We had to be very patient and the fans had to be patient as well.

"In the end we got our rewards and the fans went home very happy so I think it's a little bit easier for them to be behind us right now. We appreciate their support, we try to do our best to please them in every single way so it's a very good relationship that we have with the fans."

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