Eden Hazard feels his Chelsea teammate Diego Costa needs to control his temper during matches, even if he is provoked by opposition players.
The striker, who arrived in a £32 million move from Atletico Madrid this summer, is known for his angry outbreaks during games, and had picked up 13 yellow cards in La Liga last season. And the 25-year-old, who scored eight goals in six league appearances for Chelsea so far, has already picked up three yellow cards in England as well.
Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta, who was sent off after being shown a second yellow card for fouling Costa during the 1-1 draw against Chelsea at the Etihad two weeks ago, later stated that the Spain striker also deserved a red card (instead of a yellow) for putting his arm around the Argentine's neck.
Now, Hazard has stated that Costa should keep his cool to avoid such circumstances during matches.
"We all know how he will react, he needs to be careful that he doesn't get too many yellow cards. This is part of the game [opponents targeting him], everyone knows that. He needs to focus," Hazard told the Evening Standard.
"He is a very good striker, one of the top three in the world right now. When he is confident, he scores and right now he is confident and in form."
Meanwhile, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain admitted that Arsenal have to improve their record against big teams, though he insists that the Gunners will not change their attacking style of football when they face Chelsea on Saturday.
Despite the suggestions that the Gunners, who were crushed 6-0 at Stamford Bridge last season, should concentrate on their defence when they face Chelsea on Saturday, Oxlade-Chamberlain insists that Arsenal will play their natural game against the Blues.
"We do understand what happened there last season. Maybe we have got a point to prove there, we know this year we have got to step up in the big games and get some results in them," the Arsenal midfielder told Sky News.
"We're really looking forward to that game and I definitely think we can go there with confidence. We give Chelsea the respect they deserve – but, at the same time, I have belief in my team-mates and we believe in ourselves to be able to go to a place like Chelsea and set the tempo and hopefully take control of the game.
"There will be times in the game, I'm sure, when they have a spell because they are a top team."
