Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has challenged his side to go from strength to strength during a tough run of fixtures, beginning with Manchester City today.

The Gunners face a cup replay with Swansea City, as well as matches against Liverpool and Chelsea in their next few Premier League games.

Wenger is confident his team will rise to the challenge and says they can take heart from a good performance at the Etihad Stadium in the reverse fixture.

"It gave us optimism because it was a level game and we could have won it," Wenger told the club's official website. "It gave us early hope to be very competitive at the top.

"For us this is a very important game. Winning the big home games will have a big impact on where we finish. We know that. It's important for us that we win these sort of games at home.

"The players are ambitious and this group has a fantastic attitude. They were not always playing in a positive environment, so it was not always easy for them but I can not fault, even for one day, their concentration and focus to do well."

Arsenal take on Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium at 4pm this afternoon.