Arsene Wenger believes his side’s 3-0 win at Watford on Saturday is perfect preparation for Tuesday’s crucial Champions League meeting with Bayern Munich.
The Gunners have yet to pick a up single point in European competition following defeats by Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos this season.
But they are going well in the Premier League, with Saturday’s victory, courtesy of goals from Alexis Sanchez, substitute Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey, lifting them back into second spot.
“For me the important game was today,” Wenger said. “Because I knew that first of all that to win today was vital to stay in touch with the top teams.
“Secondly, the best way for us to prepare for Tuesday night was to win the game today.”
Wenger opted to play his strongest side against Watford, who matched Arsenal until Sanchez broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute to record his tenth goal in just six games for club and country.
And those players will, in the main, start against the German champions at the Emirates Stadium in the first instalment of a back-to-back double-header.
“Obviously there is no obvious reason to change completely the team,” Wenger added.
“There might be some, I don’t know yet, I will have to see how completely everyone recovers.
“I was able to rest a little early Mesut Ozil and Sanchez.
“We have of course to put pace into the Bayern game. We are playing against a big team.
“We know we have put ourselves in a bad position in the Champions League. And we want to make something special against Bayern because that’s the only way we can stay in the race.”
Wenger admitted he had been tempted to rest Sanchez as the forward had travelled to South America and back to play two games for Chile, which saw him score two goals.
“Yes, I was,” he said. “But yesterday, in the training session, he looked quite sharp and the medical people told me he had no problem at all.”
Sanchez opened the scoring with a shot that went in off a post after Ozil had seemingly been brought down in the box by Nathan Ake.
Ozil then set up Giroud for the second and Sanchez and Ozil were both involved for Ramsey’s third.
The setback does not leave Watford in any relegation danger but manager Quique Sanchez Flores was disappointed that his players wilted in the second half.
“In the first half we played well and in the first 15 minutes of the second half but when Arsenal found space it was different. We will have to analyse why this happened.”