Town travel to Arsenal on Friday evening (Amazon Prime, KO 8.15pm), the first of two very tough fixtures over the Christmas period with Chelsea visiting Portman Road next Monday, aiming to bounce back from Saturday’s disappointing 4-0 home defeat to Newcastle United.

The loss to the Magpies saw the Blues, down to 19th following the weekend matches, two points from safety, put in perhaps their most disappointing display of the season having been outplayed from virtually start to finish.

Town have made a habit of quickly rebounding from frustrating results and performances during Kieran McKenna’s time as manager but will have to be at their best to do so on Friday at the Emirates, the game having moved from Boxing Day for live TV coverage.

Arsenal are third in the Premier League going into the post-Christmas fixtures, unbeaten in 10 and two points behind Chelsea in second and six off leaders Liverpool with the Merseysiders having a game in hand.

At home the Gunners, who slammed Crystal Palace 5-1 at Selhurst Park on Saturday, have won five and drawn three of their eight games, including a 0-0 stalemate with Everton 10 days ago. Their other home draws were a 1-1 stalemate with Brighton and a 2-2 sharing of the points with Liverpool.

McKenna says his team will have to have to go into the game with the right mindset above all else if they are to take anything from the match.
 
“I think we need to show the right mentality, first of all, in the game,” he said. “I think it's a chance to show our togetherness, our spirit and our resilience.

“We're going to have to show a real mental strength. Our organisation is going to have to be really, really good and we're going to have to show bravery at different moments in the game as well to take them on in the way that we want to at different phases of the game.  
 
“For me, it's about the mental characteristics that we're going to have to show in this game. That's what we spoke about this morning and that's what we'll try to show on Friday night.”

While Arsenal away is undoubtedly a daunting game from which to bounce back from the Newcastle performance and result, McKenna sees plusses in having such a tough fixture next.

“Obviously, when you lose a home game and in the manner that we didn't want to on Saturday, in some ways going away to Arsenal is a really difficult game to have next.  
 
“But in another way, I think it's a challenge for us to go and take on because the characteristics that we're going to have to show are really, really clear.

“And it's up to us to go and show them now as a group on Friday night. I think it's a challenge that we're looking forward to and it's one that we have to rise to as a group together, the players all together with the staff, and with the supporters, and go there and take it head on, try and give a really good account of ourselves and try and get some points.”

The Town manager, who was a player and academy coach across North London at Tottenham, says his team need to try to play their own game at times while they seek to deal with Arsenal’s attributes.
 
“It's important for this one, there’s no doubt about it,” he reflected. “Arsenal are obviously an opponent that we have a lot of respect for and we know we won't have the game all our way and there are going to be long periods of the game where we're facing a strong opponent and they might have momentum in the game.

“We need to stand up to that and we need to again show resilience. We need to show good organisation. 
 
“But we also need to impose our strengths, bravery and will on them at certain moments and periods in the game. I think it's going to be very important how we balance them both.”

Quizzed on what he’s most looking forward to from the Arsenal and Chelsea matches, McKenna said: “You kind of get into the flow of it in the season. We've been to Tottenham, we've been to Man City, we've had big games and big clubs. This is another one. 
 
“Each game of this context is a chance to show a real strength of yourself and of the group in a game that no one expects you to be competitive in.

“For us as a staff, it's to try and come up with a game plan that gives us a chance to be competitive, to convince the players of that and then for the players to go again in a game that they know they're going to be big, big underdogs in.

“To go there with enough humility to know what the game's going to look like, but also enough confidence to take the moments when they come, to take the opportunities to impose themselves and to find the belief in there that we can go there and try and get a result. 
 
“They're a good challenge in that way, a good challenge to show the characteristics within yourself for the staff and the players.”

The Gunners have scored more set piece goals, nine, than any other team in the Premier League and McKenna says he and his staff will be working on how to cope with that threat over the next few days with the players in on Christmas Day morning.
  
“We've still got a few days to go as a coaching staff, we’re working through things, but, of course, the analysts team are well ahead on that set plays-wise,” he said.

“You look at that anyway as a reference to everyone in the league in terms of some of the things that they do, and they've been excellent in that phase. 

“We've got a few more days now to prepare over Christmas. It'll be a lot of hard work in the next 72 hours and we'll be as ready as we can be on Friday night for everything that they bring.”

Arsenal will be without Bukayo Saka, the England international having suffered a torn hamstring, which is set to keep him out for some while.

But McKenna knows the Gunners have plenty of other top players and not too many others currently on the sidelines.
 
“No, he's certainly not and yes, I don’t think they have many [players out], and there's no doubt that's a challenge.  
 
“Apart from maybe [Sven] Botman, who has been out long term, we pretty much faced Newcastle's first-choice team in good form and I think for us to face them with no injuries would be a big, big challenge. To face them with the injuries and unavailable players that we had on Saturday was just a step too far.  
 
“And we go to Arsenal, and with the same challenge, we have to try and find a way. Of course, they're going to miss Saka, who is obviously a top, top player, but they have other top players to come in and we have to try and make the best of what we have and the availability that we have and find a way to go and be competitive in the game.”

A year ago when the Blues travelled to Leeds United in a top-of-the-table clash, which they lost 4-0, McKenna pointed out that few of his players had much experience of big ground atmospheres.

Having been to the likes of the Etihad and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, winning at the latter, does he feel his players are more comfortable in that sort of environment now?
 
“I don't think the Emirates will be run of the mill, but it's probably a worthwhile reflection of a year ago we went to Leeds and that was a step too far for us in terms of the performance we were able to muster on the day,” he said.

“Leeds were the better side, they had more weapons than us and were able to hurt us, and we weren't able to hurt them. 
 
“So many of the same players now are trying to go to the Emirates or face a top Newcastle side with the same challenge, so it's a reflection of the journey that we've been on. 
 
“I think we have some comparisons to last year in terms of having lost convincingly at Leeds, really, and the group had to stick together, had to stay strong and had to stay positive. A few days later, we played Leicester, and we managed to find a really good response.  
 
“Now, it's a lot of the same players and it's Newcastle and Arsenal, so it's a big jump up, but the same characteristics that we've shown to get us to this point are the same characteristics that we have to show in the next game and where that gets us, we'll see on Friday night.”

McKenna will certainly make two changes to his starting XI with Liam Delap back from his one-match ban and skipper Sam Morsy absent as he serves his.

The Blues boss may also look at the two tough games coming within four days when it comes to naming his team for the trip to North London.

Aro Muric will be in goal with the centre-halves agains likely to be Dara O’Shea and Cameron Burgess. The Blues boss will have to pick between Arsenal old boy Harry Clarke and Ben Johnson at right-back - it seems likely they will play a game each over the course of the weekend - with Leif Davis on the left.

Kalvin Phillips seems the most obvious choice to replace suspended captain Morsy alongside Jens Cajuste at the centre of the midfield, although with Jack Taylor having done his hopes of a second Premier League start with his performance against Bournemouth and his displays from the bench, not least his last-gasp winning goal at Wolves.

The Town manager may return to a trio behind lone striker Delap of, from the right, Omari Hutchinson, who remains on four bookings with the Chelsea match the last a fifth leads to a one-match ban, Conor Chaplin, who will wear the armband in Morsy’s absence, and Sammie Szmodics, who stood in as the number nine on Saturday.

Opposition

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has confirmed that both Saka and Raheem Stirling are set for long spells on the sidelines with torn hamstring and a knee injury respectively.

Defender Takehiro Tomiyasu and right-back Ben White both remain sidelined with knee problems, but Oleksandr Zinchenko is close to a return after a minor muscle injury.

Arteta admits Saka’s absence is a big blow: “Yes it’s a huge one. Obviously he’s a big player for us. You just have to see the impact that he has on the team, but it’s going to be a really good exercise for all of us to think about ways to overcome another challenge, because we’ve already had a lot in the season.”

Regarding his options as a replacement, the Spaniard added: “I am putting some ideas together. I haven’t got there yet, but I have a few. Then I want to speak with them as well, to understand how we are going to generate that and take it in a positive way. Because we are going to be different.

“We went through the period [without] Martin [Ødegaard], we went through the period with five, six defenders missing, we went through the period without many other players. We will continue to do that: finding ways and taking it with positive energy. That’s it.”

Arteta believes Town have deserved to get more points than they have up to now based on their performances.

“Very impressed,” he said. “I like Kieran and have a lot of people that know him very closely and they always say great things about him.

“You can tell how they’re coached, what they’re trying to do. I think they’ve been very unfortunate in many games not getting the results that they deserve, so a very tough game for sure.”

History

Arsenal have had the best of the games between the teams historically, winning 30 (27 in the league), drawing 11 (10) and losing 18 (15).

Town most recently won on Arsenal turf at Highbury in the Carling Cup in November 2000 when goals from Jamie Clapham, in the second minute, and James Scowcroft in the 89th, saw the Blues to a 2-1 third-round victory.

You have to go back to September 1984 for Town’s last league win against Arsenal, a 2-1 victory at Portman Road under Bobby Ferguson, Romeo Zondervan and Russell Osman scoring, while Brian Talbot and Paul Mariner were both in the visitors’ XI.

Away, the Blues’ last victory over the Gunners was in August 1979 when Sir Bobby Robson’s team won 2-0 at Highbury with Allan Hunter and Arnold Muhren on target.

The teams most recently met at the Emirates Stadium - Town’s only game at Arsenal’s current home - in January 2011 when the Blues’ Carling Cup Wembley dream finally came to an end as goals from Nicklas Bendtner, Laurent Koscielny and Cesc Fabregas consigned new manager Paul Jewell’s men to a 3-0 semi-final second leg defeat.

The Blues, a goal up from the first leg, held out for 151 minutes of the two games before conceding two goals in three minutes just after the hour mark and then the third in the 77th minute to fall to a 3-1 on-aggregate loss.

Earlier in the month, Tamás Priskin’s second-half goal saw the Blues to a 1-0 first leg victory over a strong Gunners side at Portman Road.

Priskin curled home from the edge of the area after being sent away by Colin Healy with Town, with caretaker-manager Ian McParland in charge following Roy Keane’s sacking, fully deserving their victory over Arsene Wenger’s lacklustre team.

The most recent Premier League meeting between the teams was at Highbury in April 2002 with two Freddie Ljungberg goals giving the Gunners a 2-0 win in a game which saw George Burley give Darren Ambrose his Town debut.

At Portman Road earlier that season, Ljungberg netted in the fifth minute and Thierry Henry a penalty on 56 as the North Londoners also ran out 2-0 victors.

Familiar Faces

Blues right-back Harry Clarke was with Arsenal between 2015 and 2023 having joined from Town as an academy schoolboy, before returning to his hometown club without featuring in the Gunners’ first team.

Winger Hutchinson was with the Arsenal academy between 2015 and 2022 before moving on to Chelsea's youth set-up.

Town’s head of strength and conditioning Ivan Mukandi was with the Gunners’ academy for seven years before joining Town in the summer of 2021, also working with their women's side.

First-team analyst Cillian Callaly as a first-team analyst was previously in the same role at Arsenal having been with their academy prior to that.

Officials

Friday’s referee is Darren England with his assistants Wade Smith and Akil Howson, and the fourth official Lewis Smith. The VAR official will be Alex Chilowicz with his assistant Adam Nunn.

Doncaster-based England has shown 54 yellow cards and three red in 11 games so far this season.

England was the VAR official for the 2-1 win at Wolves a week ago on Saturday, as well as for the Aston Villa and West Ham matches.

He was most recently in the middle for a Town match at Spurs in November for Town’s other win this season, showing yellow cards to Davis, Johnson, Delap, Hutchinson, Axel Tuanzebe and one home player.

Before that, England took charge of the 2-1 win at Watford in December last year in which he booked Chaplin, Hutchinson, Luongo, Hirst and two Hornets.

Prior to that he was in charge of the 1-0 home defeat to Swansea in April 2019 in which he cautioned James Bree, Toto Nsiala and three Swans.

He also refereed the 2-0 defeat at Blackburn in the preceding January in which he yellow-carded skipper Luke Chambers and one home player and also awarded Rovers a penalty after Callum Elder had hauled down Adam Armstrong.

Before that he was in the middle for the 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest in April 2018 in which he booked Grant Ward and one home player.

England also took charge of the 1-0 defeat at Bristol City a month earlier, in which he cautioned Jonas Knudsen and one Robin, and the 2-0 win at Sunderland a month prior to that, in which he yellow-carded Joe Garner and one Black Cat.

Squad From

Muric, Walton, Slicker, Davis, Townsend, Johnson, H Clarke, O’Shea, Woolfenden, Burgess, Greaves, Cajuste, Phillips, Luongo, Taylor, Hutchinson, Chaplin, Szmodics, J Clarke, Broadhead, Burns, Delap, Al-Hamadi.

Photo: TWTD

SickParrot added 18:34 - Dec 24 Our game plan should be to avoid a big defeat by denying Arsenal space in our half with a rigid defensive 442 or 4411 formation. Hopefully we can frustrate them and hope to nick a set piece goal or a solo effort from Delap. Walton Johnson/Clarke OShea Burgess Townsend Burns Cajuste Phillips Davis Szmodics Delap.
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muccletonjoe added 18:47 - Dec 24 Can't believe we are going there with 4 attacking players and 2 in midfield. They must be rubbing their hands
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blueboy1981 added 19:40 - Dec 24 We make simplicity complicated - elementary errors are our downfall i.e inability to close players down, too many loose passes, possession given away by careless passing, and no Plan B to correct what isn’t working ! Over to you Mr McKenna to sort - before the trap door opens, and time waits for no one !!
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blueboy1981 added 19:44 - Dec 24 …… to add - many of our players struggle with playing out from the back - especially the Goalkeeper, whom I’m sure would admit it completely confuses him !!
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Tedray added 20:38 - Dec 24 I like your team Sickparrot it has a solid look about it.Wonder whether Townsend could play right back and if Jacob Greaves could be smuggled in somwehere it would add to our physicality - as you say we must not go there wide open.
4

Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 07:02 - Dec 25 I don't pretend to understand tactics and formations all that well, but I'd like to see a plan that includes O'Shea, Burgess AND Greaves in some shape or form. (3-5-2? We do seem to get run over in midfield.)
7

johnwarksshorts added 07:10 - Dec 25 Shut up shop. 5 4 1 formation. And nick it with a Priskin break away goal.
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johnwarksshorts added 07:12 - Dec 25 Only of course it would be Delap not Priskin...
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johnwarksshorts added 07:13 - Dec 25 Happy Christmas
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victorysquad added 07:45 - Dec 25 We are going to ruin their xmas
3

Linkboy13 added 10:37 - Dec 25 Didn't realise there were so many pub team managers on here Townsend left back i bet you haven't even seen him play dream on. Can't people accept that our squad is not any where near Premier league quality.
5

GiveusaWave added 11:42 - Dec 25 Townsend must have shown great strides forward in training to earn his place in the starting XI.
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bluebullet29l added 12:05 - Dec 25 You don't say...sherlock
0

ITFCSG added 20:15 - Dec 25 For once I'd want to see McK ditch his usual approach and go to Arsenal just like how Lincoln, Cheltenham, Morecambe et al did when they faced us in L1. Stay tight, play a low block and hit on the counter/set piece
7

churchmans added 21:40 - Dec 25 Comments on here are hilarious! selection and tactics from some and picking Townsend as left back lol We are in the prem try and enjoy that fact! We are live on amazon prime as they expect us to get pumped! Let's hope we give a good account of ourselves
4

blues1 added 22:19 - Dec 25 Churchmans . Ur basing ur criticism of Townsend on what? Nothing of course. He's a proper left back. And I'll guarantee you, if he did play, he'd do a lot better defensively than Davis has this season so far. As good as Davis can be going forwards, a large number of the goals we've conceded have come from him being caught too far upfield and not being able to get back. So having an out and out left bsck behind him could actually be a good thing

4

bobble added 22:45 - Dec 25 We should go there and play "Ange ball".....
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KiwiBlue2 added 01:08 - Dec 26 I think that with Arsenal and a few of the other top teams we are likely to get in to trouble if we just play two in midfield. In games where our midfield is overrun we find ourselves under too much pressure. I would like to see the following lineup: Walton Johnson O'Shea Burgess/Greaves Davis Cajuste Phillips Taylor Hutchinson Delap Broadhead Bench : Muric, Burgess or Greaves, Townsend, Luongo, Smodicz, Clarke, Chaplin I feel that lineup is more solid than last week and with Delap poses a better threat going forward. If Phillips is not fully fit I would have him play just the first half and Luongo the second.

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KiwiBlue2 added 01:20 - Dec 26 As well as the above I also think a 4-4-2 would give us more solidity than our usual structure of 4-2-3-1. When Hirst comes back I would like to see us playing both him and Delap up front. Would give us greater physicality and a better outlet than we had last week.
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KiwiBlue2 added 01:27 - Dec 26 To me a 4-4-2 going forward after the Arsenal game and when Hirst is available could look like: Walton Johnson O'Shea Burgess/Greaves Davis Hutchinson Morsy Phillips/Cajuste Broadhead Delap Hirst Bench: Muric Burgess/Greaves, Townsend Luongo Chaplin Smodicz Al Hamadi/Burns January additions to be considered
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Lightningboy added 10:28 - Dec 26 Agree with the Davis comments - he's struggling big time defensively at this level - but Townsend ain't the solution - maybe we should play Davis & Johnson as wing-backs from here on with a back 3 - certainly in the tougher games.
2

finidi added 10:28 - Dec 26 Message to Kieran tes show the right mentality well here is an idea,pick the right team not based on sentiment round pegs in round holes please, then you never know!
2

Linkboy13 added 10:49 - Dec 26 It appears Keiran McKenna doesn't know what he's doing according to some experts on here he's now being called Mr McKenna amazing how quickly fans can turn. Last season he got us promoted with what was basically a team of no hopers. I suspect the knockers are only here for the Premier league ride and will be gone if we get relegated.
2

BobbyBell added 11:03 - Dec 26 I have complete faith in McKenna however I think Arsenal will be far too good for us and I'm dreading a real thumping, It's not McKenna's style to park the bus but I wouldn't mind seeing us do that and not leave acres of space from the kick off. A solid back 5 and 3 in midfield with just Delap and Hutchinson as attack options. A point would be awesome but it doesn't seem very likely.

3

SuperTabby added 11:10 - Dec 26 I think he’ll go with 3 centre backs and try to keep the team compact, we did for both the Spurs and Man City away matches. So I think it will be: Muric O’Shea, Burgess, Greaves Johnson, Phillips, Cajuste, Davis Hutchinson Szmodics Delap
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