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WHEN TWO GIANTS CLASH . . . Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s (left) tie flaps in the wind as he clashes with his counterpart at Chelsea Jose Mourinho as the two have a brief tiff during last year’s meeting between their two clubs at Stamford Bridge but Mourinho thinks their relationship is “not important” ahead of tomorrow’s humdinger at the Emirates Stadium.

LONDON. — Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will hope to make it 13th time lucky against Jose Mourinho this weekend as his side attempt to delay Chelsea’s coronation as English Premier League soccer champions.

Wenger has never prevailed against Mourinho in 12 attempts and even if he redresses that statistic at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow, it is unlikely to prevent Chelsea from claiming the title.

Having recorded an efficient 1-0 win over third-place Manchester United last weekend, Chelsea are 10 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table with six games remaining.

Victory tomorrow would leave them needing three points from next Wednesday’s trip to Leicester City, currently embroiled in a relegation battle, to claim a first league crown since 2010.

But while the championship seems destined for Stamford Bridge, Arsenal have drawn encouragement from a run of nine consecutive wins, including an FA Cup semi-final defeat of Reading that took the holders into the final.

Tomorrow’s derby will see Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas return to the club where he previously spent eight years – including three as captain – and Wenger hopes he will be spared a hostile reception.

“I want every player to be respected, and Cesc Fabregas when he comes to the Emirates on Sunday to be respected like he deserves,” said the Frenchman, who clashed with Mourinho on the touchline in October’s reverse fixture.

Centre-back Per Mertesacker has a “50-50” chance of playing, according to Wenger, after injuring his ankle in the 2-1 victory over Reading at Wembley.

Midfielders Mikel Arteta and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are both back in training after injury lay-offs, but neither is ready to return to first-team action.

Jose Mourinho says he make a decision on Diego Costa today ahead of his side’s clash with Arsenal.

Costa will be available for his side’s Premier League clash on Wednesday, even if he is not fit tomorrow.

The Chelsea boss revealed Didier Drogba is fit but Loic Remy remains a doubt, and said everyone else is fit for the Premier League title clash.

Dominic Solanke did not play for the Under-21s yesterday and Mourinho added he will be called upon if needed.

Cesc Fabregas returns to face his former side tomorrow.

His manager is not expecting there to be any problems, and has no worries about his midfielder dealing with a possible bad reception.

Mourinho is not focussing upon his impressive record against Wenger and says it will be an achievement to win at the Emirates.

He hailed the strength of Arsenal’s squad but is confident his team will do enough to win.

The 52-year-old was adamant the Blues have not won anything yet and knows every club has pushed Chelsea hard in recent weeks.

Mourinho said: “Good projects end with titles. Cesc was looking for that.”

Eden Hazard netted Chelsea’s winner against United – his 18th goal of the season – and is hotly tipped for honours in tomorrow’s Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) awards.

“He is flying. In my opinion it’s been the best season of his career,” team-mate Branislav Ivanovic told the Chelsea website.

“He’s the guy who, when you pass him the ball, you just have to leave him alone. He will do everything. He’s something different.”

Hazard’s strike ended United’s six-game winning run and saw their lead over fourth-place Manchester City trimmed to a point as the champions won 2-0 at home to West Ham United.

City can provisionally climb above both Arsenal and United by winning at home to Aston Villa today, but Tim Sherwood’s side are in buoyant mood after sinking Liverpool to reach the FA Cup final.

United travel to Everton tomorrow, a year on from a 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park that preceded David Moyes’s dismissal as manager.

Fixtures

Today (all 4pm unless otherwise stated): Burnley v Leicester City, Crystal Palace v Hull City, Manchester City v Aston Villa (6:30pm), Newcastle United v Swansea City, Queens Park Rangers v West Ham United, Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur (1:45pm), Stoke City v Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion v Liverpool

Tomorrow: Arsenal v Chelsea (5pm), Everton v Manchester United (2:30pm). — AFP.