LONDON. – Arsenal will look to recover from their midweek Champions League defeat at home to Barcelona with a English Premier League victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, defender Per Mertesacker said.

Lionel Messi scored two late goals to give the holders a 2-0 lead ahead of next month’s second leg and despite qualification for the quarter-finals looking bleak, Arsenal are well placed in the Premier League, just two points behind leaders Leicester City with 12 games remaining.

“We will go to Manchester United and we are in a good position. . .we don’t want to give that up,” Mertesacker told the club’s website.

“We have a great chance to focus back on the Premier League and forget what happened in the last 20 minutes (against Barcelona).

“You need to have little successes on the road. We have a great chance on Sunday to do that again and show that we can compete for the title.”

Arsenal will fancy their chances against a struggling United side, who are fifth in the table and six points adrift of the Champions League places, having lost just once in their last five encounters against the Red Devils.

Meanwhile, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is facing another injury lay-off – and fears that could wreck his Euro 2016 chances.

The Arsenal midfielder was sent for a scan on Wednesday after damaging his right knee and ankle in a challenge with Barcelona’s Javier Mascherano.

He left on crutches with heavy strapping and fears he has damaged ligaments which could mean he misses a big chunk of Arsenal’s title run-in.

Arsenal were on Wednesday night still assessing him and were expecting a further update late yesterday on a player whose World Cup was also ruined by injury in 2014, making him desperate to be fit for France this summer.

They are resigned to him being out for Sunday’s trip to Manchester United while they await news and fear that he could be out until after the next international break at the end of next month.

Oxlade-Chamberlain knows missing the two next England friendlies with Germany and Holland next month will be a massive set back to his Euro hopes.

A lay-off will have a huge impact on his chances of making this summer’s Euros after a season of frustration with Arsenal. – AFP.

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