The Gunners top the league, ahead of Tuesday night’s visitors by two points, but it has been argued in some quarters they have not been truly tested and whey they have, in Europe against Borussia Dortmund, they came unstuck.
Wenger understands the critcism but says they will be seeking to strike a psychological blow against the Blues.
“I’m not sure it (the cup tie) will affect the Premier League at all, but you know people will look at you, how you behave and whether you can win the big games like that,” Wenger said.
“What is for sure is you that you want to win these sort of games. That has a certain psychological influence on the team.
“What we want to do is to show that we want to be considered as a very strong team and that comes only with the way we play and with the results, so let’s just focus on that. We will absolutely go for this game.
“We haven’t won the title for a few years and people question that now. At the end of the day, the Premier League will reflect the quality of the performances of the team throughout the season and how well you do in the big games.
“This is a good opportunity for us to show we are ready.”
Without a trophy in eight years, Wenger is, understandably, attaching more importance to the tie but did say he will rotate his squad for the game at the Emirates Stadium.
The Frenchman said the previously out of favour Nicklas Bendtner could be set for a start and he will give some first team players a rest.
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