Arsene Wenger has admitted that Chelsea have earned the right to be installed as Premier League title favourites, but he believes his Arsenal side can undermine that tag at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The Gunners had a horrible record against their title rivals away from home last season as they conceded 17 goals against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in just three games, but Wenger is taking up his side's hopes ahead of his latest clash with Mourinho.
"Today we can say Chelsea are the title favourites, I agree," Wenger told reporters. "They had the perfect start, they scored lot so they deserve to be the favourites now, but every team runs into a problem at some stage in the season."
When asked about his bitter rivalry with Mourinho and his eagerness to get a first win over the Portuguese tactician on what will be his 12th attempt, he offered this dismissive response.
"Honestly, I do not think about whether I have beaten him before," he said. "When I go home I don't think about the other manager, I think about not winning the game and what I could have done better.
"This is a very important game for me and my club. It has nothing to do with the other manager. I want to win the game. That is all I care about.
"We have to adapt our tactics a little bit, but let's be honest, even single player at Chelsea can make a difference. If we say we mark [Diego] Costa in this game, [Eden] Hazard can score, Willian can score, Oscar can score.
"It is more a focus on defending as a team when you don't have the ball and finding balance of restricting your opponent and expressing your own football."
Wenger went on to suggest Mourinho's persistent claims that his star striker Diego Costa is struggling with a hamstring injury are hard to believe, given his sparkling performances this season.
"Honestly when you see Costa play, it's not obvious he has a problem," added Wenger. "He has [had] a problem with his hamstring for a long time because in the Champions League final [in May] he had that problem. When you see him this season, it's difficult to imagine he has a problem."
