Silvestre eyes United scalp

Silvestre: Rocked by recent results

Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre is hoping to delay Manchester United's title-winning party this weekend.

Should the Red Devils emerge victorious from a midweek trip to Wigan, they would need just one point against the Gunners on Saturday to secure the Premier League crown.

Arsene Wenger's men would like nothing more than putting a dent in their arch rivals' ambitions, but have begun to wobble of late.

With a long, hard season beginning to take its toll, Arsenal have slipped to morale-crushing defeats against United and Chelsea in their last two outings.

Silvestre, though, insists they are capable of bouncing back and is expecting a positive response when the Gunners head to the Theatre of Dreams.

"It is always a game to look forward to," said former United defender Silvestre.

"It will be tough going back there. We need to play like we started against Chelsea and make sure it goes our way when it comes to scoring goals.

"It is a good chance to prove to ourselves that we have got what it takes to fight and be on top of the league for next season. Players have to fight for their spots and show the boss they deserve to be there and have the will to defend Arsenal's colours."

Painful

Arsenal saw a 21-game unbeaten run in the Premier League ended by a 4-1 mauling at the hands of Chelsea on Sunday, while they slipped to a 3-1 defeat in their UEFA Champions League semi-final, second leg against United just a few days earlier.

Having conceded seven goals in the space of a week, Silvestre admits confidence at Emirates Stadium has taken a knock, but he insists it has not been damaged beyond repair.

"It's a very bad week for us - two defeats at home and it was not the response we wanted to give to the fans against Chelsea," added Silvestre.

"The will was there but the luck was not. We need to concentrate on the last two games and stay professional.

"It was hard for two days to digest the defeat to United but after that when you play Chelsea at home, you have to look forward to it.

"That's what we did. We took control at the start of the game and created a few chances but after that the scenario was a disaster.

"It would be easy to put the blame on the defence itself but there are 11 to defend the ball.

"We played against top sides and showed some weaknesses. It is for the boss to analyse this. But as a defender it is always painful to concede so many goals."