Mikel Arteta is confident that Arsenal are genuine contenders to win the Champions League this season and has urged his players to embrace the “most exciting part” of their campaign. With the Premier League title now out of reach, Arsenal’s best hope for silverware lies in Europe, where they are on the brink of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals for the second consecutive year.
Arsenal head into the second leg of their last-16 tie against PSV Eindhoven with a commanding 7-1 aggregate lead. A win or draw on Wednesday will see them progress to the next round, where they could face either Atletico Madrid or Real Madrid. Arteta believes that his side can compete with any team left in the competition, insisting they must focus on finishing the job against PSV.
“We have done a lot and probably the most exciting part is coming up right now,” Arteta said. “We have to make sure that’s why tomorrow we finish the job in the way that we want to do, to put ourselves in a great position to go again. We have been extremely consistent in the competition. We have been very, very good, and now we have to continue.”
The Arsenal manager added that it’s crucial for his players to bring their best when facing Europe’s top sides in the latter stages of the tournament. “I have full belief as well that we can compete against any team. It is on those days [about] getting the best out of ourselves and controlling every detail, because when you get to those stages, that is what is going to define the moment to go through or not.”
Arsenal defender William Saliba echoed his manager’s belief, stating that the team fears no one as they approach the crucial stages of the competition. “If we don’t believe or if we don’t dream to win the Champions League, there is no point to play,” Saliba said. “We are here, and with the new format, it was not easy to be qualified. Now we’ve won the first game [against PSV], tomorrow we’ve got a good chance to win a game and to be qualified.”
Saliba remained optimistic about Arsenal’s chances, saying that, with belief and hard work, they can go all the way. “After, there are four games before the final. We can do it, we all believe that we can do it. We have to work and pray as well. We are sad when we don’t win a trophy, but we have to keep believing because we are here. We won the first game last week and if we win or draw, we are in the quarter-finals, then anything can happen. We have to believe in ourselves and everyone thinks we can do it.”