Arsene Wenger has declared that Arsenal are ready to fight for the Premier League title but concedes that Chelsea remain the favourites to retain their crown.
The Gunners finished third in the table last season although their strong finish to the campaign saw them come out on top of the form table for England's top-flight in 2015.
Wenger, though, believes Jose Mourinho's Chelsea should be considered as title favourites and has called on his side to make a strong start to the campaign to ensure they are in a position to push the Blues all the way.
He told reporters: "Chelsea won it by a margin last year so they must be favourites.
"We are ready to fight for the championship. We missed our start to the season last year, let's try to start strong. But we have a difficult start with two derbies and Liverpool in our first three games.
"We enjoy [the pressure of being talked of as title winners]. Before, no one talked about us like that! We're past that period."
Wenger also confirmed that Alexis Sanchez is not ready to be considered for selection but suggests he will be fit in time to feature against Liverpool in the Gunners' third game of the season on August 24.
He added: "He came back in good shape and should be available to play in 10 days."
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