Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna previews Premier League clash against Arsenal after Gunners knocked Real Madrid out of Champions League

Having watched Arsenal demolish Real Madrid over two legs in the Champions League, Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna could be forgiven if he were having sleepless nights due to the prospect of Sunday’s Premier League clash against the Gunners at Portman Road.

However, McKenna believes that the clash provides his relegation-threatened side with not only a chance to show they can be competitive, but also prove that they are in the top flight ‘on merit'.

He said: “We’re playing against one of the best teams in England, for sure, and if you’re one of the best teams in the Premier League, then you’re one of the best teams in Europe and they’ve shown that with their Premier League form over the last few years, and they’re showing it with their European form this year.

“We’ve great humility and great respect for the opponent, but we’re here on merit, we’re here on right. We’ve shown across the season that we can compete with lots of teams.

“We showed last weekend we can compete with a very good team and we showed even at the Emirates earlier in the season.

“Although it was a really difficult game, we showed a way to compete and make the game tight and if things had gone a little bit differently at the end, we could even have got something from the game.

“We know the scale of the challenge and what we’re up against, but our focus is on ourselves and what we need to execute in the game-plan to make it a difficult game for them.”

Depending on results elsewhere, defeat to Arsenal could confirm Ipswich’s relegation back down to the Championship. And even if it is not rubber stamped this weekend, it will almost certainly be a case of when and not if the Tractor Boys head back down to the second tier.

Nevertheless, McKenna, who has confirmed that Jaden Philogene is unlikely to play again this season due to a knee injury, is not getting fixated on the situation.

He added: “It’s not something I’ve given a second’s thought to. The arithmetic doesn't really concern me. The concern is just going into Sunday.

“If I haven’t given it a whole load of thought, if you asked me does it matter a huge amount in the biggest picture, I’d say probably not.

“What matters hugely in the biggest picture is that we give absolutely everything on Sunday as we did last week, as we need to do the next weekend.

“We need to fight for as many points as we can and that’s all that we can control. Honestly, that’s the only thing that’s coming into my mind.”