Arsene Wenger believes that the best way to beat Burnley at the Emirates on Sunday is to use Arsenal’s pace, in both runs and passing while protecting themselves from the counter.

It’s a tale as old as time. Teams come to the Emirates, sit deep and we moan for 75 minutes at our inability to break them down, only for Wenger to reach for fresh legs to undo the tiring visitors. Of course, sometimes it doesn’t quite go that way and we get caught on the counter, making things infinitely worse for ourselves. But, mostly, we work it out eventually.

“For us, it’s a very important game and it’s a big challenge for us as well because we dropped points against teams between fifth and 12th at home last season,” Wenger told this week’s matchday programme.

“We know that’s one of our challenges this season, to perform against these kinds of teams at home.

“We want to win this game so it’s very important that we prepare well mentally.

“We have some experience of playing against sides that invite us to come onto them and we don’t forget the ingredients that are needed to play against a team who is very deep.

“That means we have to use the speed of our game well. The speed of our passing and the quality of our runs will be very important. 

“We will have to keep a cool head in the final third too, and not give anything away on the counter-attack.”

In total, Arsenal have played Burnley 102 times – winning 48, drawing 21 and losing 33.

Playing each other for the first time in February 1896, Arsenal have won eight of the last 10, drawing and losing 1.