Arsenal will challenge for the title, insists Chelsea’s Roberto Di Matteo

Roberto Di Matteo has declared his belief that Arsenal will be genuine title contenders this season ahead of Chelsea’s trip to The Emirates on Saturday.

Arsène Wenger’s men find themselves in fifth place in the Premier League table after five games, and four points behind early pace-setters Chelsea.

The Gunners have found some momentum after stuttering to goalless draws in their opening games, claiming an impressive 2-0 victory at Liverpool before coming from behind to earn a point at Manchester City last Sunday.

Di Matteo insists he has always viewed the Gunners as one of Chelsea’s serious rivals for the title – and admits he has been thoroughly impressed by the impact of new signing Santi Cazorla.

“I said that at the start of the season that Arsenal would be challenging for the league,” said Di Matteo. “I’m not sure anybody believed me but that’s the way I saw it [and] I haven’t changed my mind.

“They have signed some very good and interesting players. They’ve been playing the same kind of football for many many years and I think they’ll be up there with the other teams.

“[Cazorla] is a very exciting player to watch. He has certainly made an impact in Arsenal’s team, even though they had some very good players already. I think he’s probably been the highlight so far.”

Chelsea top the Premier League table after claiming maximum points from their opening games – but Di Matteo believes it is too early to assess whether his side can mount a serious title challenge.

“I think it’s early days,” he added. “We’ve only played five games so far so I think you’ll have to wait a little bit longer to make that judgement.”

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