Saturday 28 February 2015 13:27, UK
Everton boss Roberto Martinez expects Arsenal to be totally focused when they meet on Sunday, despite the Gunners’ midweek Champions League defeat to Monaco.
The Gunners' chances of progressing to the quarter-finals of the continental competition look slim after they were beaten 3-1 at home in their last-16 first leg on Wednesday.
It left Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger critcising the "weak mentality" of his team, and on Friday the Frenchman admitted he had been "hurt" by what happened.
He also talked about the difficulty of "switching mindset" from the disappointment of that game to the challenge of tackling the Toffees, but made clear his determination to do so, speaking of the "very good opportunity to put things right again".
And Martinez said ahead of the Premier League encounter at the Emirates Stadium: "I don't think Arsenal will suffer from a psychological setback after what happened in their last game.
"They have incredible experience in these sorts of games."
Everton are going into the game off the back of a European high, having comfortably completed a 7-2 aggregate victory over Young Boys by seeing them off 3-1 at Goodison Park on Thursday to advance into the Europa League last 16.
But Martinez is not underestimating the benefit an extra day's worth of preparation will have for Arsenal, and has also pointed to the league form of Wenger's side - eight wins and only two defeats in their last 11 fixtures, and just one home loss all season.
"It is true that an extra 24 hours in terms of recovery makes a big difference," the Spaniard said.
"We need to make sure we are fully fit and refreshed. We expect an Arsenal fully focused on trying to carry on the outstanding form they have in the league, and we'll have to be at our very best.
"Arsenal have only had one home league defeat and we know we have a real difficult task in front of us.
"But at the same time, after our result last weekend, we are desperate to perform well and get a good result."
Everton were held to a 2-2 home draw by bottom side Leicester last Sunday, a game which took their recent league record to only two wins in 14 games.
Martinez guided the Toffees to a fifth-placed finish last season, but this term they have struggled for momentum domestically and have been 12th for the last few weeks.
It has been in stark contrast to an impressive European campaign, in which the manager feels his players have been more free of the pressure of expectation.
And Martinez hopes his side, with a top-four spot now certainly not on the agenda, can play in a more liberated style in the league.
He said: "We have gone into league matches feeling too much responsibility, like we have something to lose rather than something to gain, and I think in the Europa League it has been completely different - from a mental point of view, it has just been an opportunity to beat the opposition and show what we can do.
"That is exactly the manner we should be approaching the games with in the league and hopefully, now we are going into the final 12 matches and we know we are not going to be in a position to get into the top four, we will be in a position to get as many points as we can, finish as high as we can and find a real enjoyment in domestic competition too."
