Arsene Wenger praised Hull’s new manager, Marco Silva, ahead of Arsenal’s clash against the Tigers on Saturday and admitted that every game is tough, especially at the Emirates.

Arsenal beat Mike Phelan’s Hull 4-0 earlier in the season but this time around, with Marco Silva in charge, the boss reckons it’s going to be tougher.

Despite being in the relegation zone and only winning two out of their last five matches, Hull’s last fixture was against Liverpool, which they won 2-0. Therefore, they’re probably going to be on a high while Arsenal might have their heads down after last weekend’s shambolic 3-1 loss away to Chelsea.

Speaking ahead of the early kick off on Saturday, Wenger praised the way Hull have been playing.

“[I’m] Not really [surprised by Hull’s recent wins] because I felt they played well since the start of the season but they had not always the results,” he said. “The Premier League is difficult for everybody – they were a bit unlucky sometimes so they are a tough opposition for us.”

The boss went on to point out how games are especially tough at the Emirates, which is true considering the amount of points we’ve dropped at home this season. Before the Chelsea game, Watford managed to beat us 2-1 on our turf so Hull must fancy their chances.

“Every game is difficult, especially at the Emirates. We have to prepare well to face a Hull team with more confidence than when we played them, so we have to prepare well.

“We need to focus on what we do well and the quality of our game. As well these players have been great players [before] last Tuesday, they are still great players one week later. You are not a different player. You have to have common sense a little bit.”

I wish I was more confident that we could actually pull something out the bag but I’m not.