Arteta – Forza Futbol

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.

ARTETA: ARSENAL CAN WIN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

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.

Mikel Arteta has acknowledged that Arsenal will need to be near perfect to catch Premier League leaders Liverpool, but he believes momentum is building after a difficult spell. Arsenal, who finished runners-up to Manchester City in the last two seasons, have seen Liverpool surge eight points clear at the top of the table.

ARTETA ADMITS ARSENAL NEED TO BE NEARLY PERFECT

Arteta’s side heads into Saturday’s match against West Ham buoyed by a 5-1 thrashing of Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League and a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest last weekend. The win over Forest ended a four-match winless streak in the league and gave Arsenal hope of climbing back into the title race. A victory at the London Stadium on Saturday would lift the Gunners into second place, ahead of Sunday’s key clash between Liverpool and Manchester City.