At a Glance:
- Arsenal face off against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semifinals later today.
- Mikel Arteta reveals key factor in what could decide the game
- Arteta also stated that Arsenal’s recent Premier League victory has given the squad a massive boost
Arsenal have a chance to win not only the Premier League this season, but the Champions League too.
Thanks to Manchester City’s 3-3 draw with Everton, the Gunners now have a two point lead over their Mancunian rivals—meaning that yet again, Arsenal hold all the cards in determining who will emerge victorious in this year’s title race.
The Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid at the Emirates will be the decider in which team will either face Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich in the final of the competition, and Mikel Arteta addressed the pressure of such a big game on his hands.
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Mikel Arteta states Arsenal players are ‘ready to deliver’ in Champions League match versus Atletico
On Arsenal playing in such a big game, and their second Champions League semi-final in as many seasons, Mikel Arteta got straight to the point.
“I can’t wait [for the game]. I mean, I feel the energy in and amongst the team, our supporters, so these are the moments that we want to live together… we had a lot of work as a club, as a team, after 20 years to be in this position again, and we are so hungry to get a game that we want tomorrow and go through to the final.”
Regarding his belief that Arsenal can make the final, Arteta stated it was down to the fact that “[It’s] what I see every single day. They are giving me the reason to believe, to trust these players and to be convinced that we can do it in any context against any opponent. This is football and tomorrow we’re going to have to prove it throughout the game.”
One of the deciding factors in whether Arsenal are successful in progressing through to the Champions League final will be the performance of Viktor Gyokeres, who cited his international form as a reason for his improved Arsenal performances recently, which included converting a penalty in the first game against Atletico.
Mikel Arteta credits Fulham victory as key motivator for Champions League matchup
On his team’s 3-0 win over Fulham last Saturday, Arteta confirmed that it had given the team a necessary mental boost to carry into their game against Atletico Madrid.
The Spaniard said: “For us it’s great preparation. It’s the preparation and the schedule that we had. We maximised that in every term and the team has so much energy and is ready to go for more… we have to use that momentum towards tomorrow because it’s exactly what we need.”
