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LONDON. — Arsenal have “a big hunger” to avenge their crushing defeat against Chelsea in March, a humiliation that Arsene Wenger said yesterday he and his club would never forget.The Arsenal manager seeks his first victory over a Jose Mourinho-managed club in a dozen attempts in tomorrow’s big English Premier League derby and the Frenchman admitted that last season’s 6-0 mauling at Stamford Bridge, which marred his 1 000th game in charge, had left an indelible mark.

“We will never forget last year at Chelsea and we have an opportunity to put it right,” Wenger told a news conference before the return to Stamford Bridge.

“We have a big hunger to put that right. Last year’s slow start exposed us to counter-attacks.  It was a very bad memory but football is not made of history, it’s about performance.”

Wenger also said his side are hungry to put things right after last season’s “horrendous” defeat at Stamford Bridge.

The Gunners were beaten 6-0 at Stamford Bridge after being reduced to 10 men early on when Kieran Gibbs was mistakenly sent off instead of Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Wenger insists there will be no repeat performance tomorrow, and says Arsenal are motivated to make amends for that heavy defeat.

“It was not a bad day, it was a horrendous day for us!” the manager said.

“We are hugely determined and have a big hunger to put that right on Sunday.  We have an opportunity to do it and I am confident that we will take the chance.

“We were 2-0 down after 10 minutes and down to 10 men — in a position where you have to come out and try to attack, you are always exposed to counter-attacks.

“It was of course a very bad memory, but football is not made of history, it is made of performance and performance in the next game [is what] counts. That is what we want to do.”

With six points separating Arsenal from top-of-the-table Chelsea, Wenger said winning tomorrow was “vital” if his side was to stay in the English Premier League race.

Arsenal’s midweek Champions League trouncing of Galatasaray, he said, had been good for the confidence of the team.

“We want to go to Chelsea to win. The fact they are six points ahead makes that desire even bigger. We are both still unbeaten (in the English Premier League) but I feel we have had a more difficult run than them.

“It’s a vital game for us to stay in the race.”

As for the personal rivalry with Mourinho and the statistic he must hate being brought up — 11 matches versus the Portuguese, and no wins —Wenger said: “He has always had fantastic teams.

“It’s not a game between two managers, it’s a game about clubs.”

Much hype will also surround the appearance of the former Arsenal favourite Cesc Fabregas, who has been flourishing for Chelsea since his move from Barcelona.

Wenger has urged Arsenal fans to give the Spaniard a warm welcome.

Wenger believes that Fabregas will always appreciate the positive impact that Arsenal has had on his career.

The Spain international will line up against his former club tomorrow, when the Gunners face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Wenger expects the club’s ex-captain to receive a good reception from the Arsenal fans and will always have good memories of his time in north   London.

“I think Fabregas will have a great career because he’s a great player,” the manager said.

“When he looks back he will find that Arsenal and myself had a very positive impact on his career. Nobody can dispute that. I wish him well — he’s a great player, and a person and player I love.

“Once he left us, he left us. We are all professionals and we have to accept that.”

Wenger insists he was never in the running to re-sign Fabregas in the summer due to the number of attacking midfielders he has at his disposal.

“When he left we bought Ozil to buy an offensive player,” he said.

“We have Cazorla, we have Wilshere, we have Ramsey, we have Oxlade-Chamberlain, who are all offensive players. We were not in the need to buy offensive players. It makes sense if you just look at the balance of the team. I think that’s a decision that is easy to understand.

“I think everybody has the freedom to go where they want. We have to respect their decisions.  As long as we are not in contention we cannot stop people going where they want.”

Wenger also knocked down newspaper reports that Aaron Ramsey could be sidelined with his hamstring injury until December, saying: “I’ve been told he could be out for three to four weeks, so I count four.”

Wenger says his side will go into tomorrow’s game in good spirits after their 4-1 victory against Galatasaray on Wednesday night.

“It was a vital performance and we did it in style and in a convincing way,” he said.

“That is good for the confidence of the team because we came out of a good performance against Tottenham when we couldn’t finish the job and we were much more efficient against Galatasaray.”

Wenger also said past results will have no psychological effect on his players when they travel to Stamford Bridge tomorrow.

And Wenger said Diego Costa is a “killer” in front of goal and cannot believe how quickly he has adjusted to the English Premier League.

Costa has already scored eight goals this season, including a hat-trick against Swansea, despite only signing for Chelsea this summer.

Wenger says the Spanish striker was on his radar last season but expected it to take longer for him to adjust to English football.

“I’ve never seen a player adapt as quickly as he has,” the Arsenal boss said.

“He has done fantastically well. He has all the aspects of a striker that you like.  He’s focused, always determined, ready for a fight and I’m very impressed.

“He has got players who can feed him like Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard, who can find him with final passes. He’s a very efficient player.  The timing of his runs and his determination, his killing determination — you feel he’s a killer. He has that in him.

“I just hope he can dis-adapt on Sunday!”

Wenger also addressed the speculation regarding Lukas Podolski, after the Germany international hinted he would leave the Emirates Stadium if his desire to play  regularly  is  not  satisfied.

The striker has played just 128 minutes this term and said “a change must occur” if he did not play more often.

“It is quite simple. There is no transfer market at the moment,” Wenger explained.

“We are all on board to get a result on Sunday.”

Fixtures (all 4pm unless otherwise stated)

Today: Hull v Crystal Palace; Leicester v Burnley; Liverpool v West Brom; Sunderland v Stoke; Swansea v Newcastle; Aston Villa v Manchester City (6:30pm)

Tomorrow: Manchester United v Everton (1pm); Chelsea v Arsenal (3:05pm); Tottenham v Southampton (3:05pm); West Ham v QPR (5:15pm). — Soccernet.