Coach Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal must continue to develop and prove their strength in the Champions League, even though they are only one point away from a ticket to the knockout round.
"We have to prove ourselves," Arteta said on November 28 at a press conference ahead of the Champions League Group B match against Lens. "Arsenal have to return to Europe as the club we want to be, and we have to be strong and have good results. At the moment, we haven't done that and we have to move on."
Arteta talks with captain Martin Odegaard at London Colney training ground on November 28. Photo: arsenal.com
Arsenal are top of the group with nine points, four ahead of PSV and Lens. Victory at the Emirates today would see the Gunners reach the knockout stages in first place, and Arteta wants his players to settle things before the final game away to PSV on 12 December. "We want to be top and the opportunity will come tomorrow against the club that caused the problems. But we have experience of playing them. So the team has the right motivation to settle the group stage one game early," he said.
The 41-year-old coach assessed that Arsenal had a successful Champions League group stage campaign, having won all 13 matches of the Dutch league against PSV, and also took three points away at Sevilla. "You have to sweat and work hard, play well and deserve a lot in the matches to win," said Arteta. "We have faced top opponents and tomorrow will be another difficult match."
Arsenal's only defeat in the first four rounds of the Champions League group stage was a 1-2 reverse at Lens in early October. It is almost certain that the French representative will choose a defensive counter-attacking style when visiting the Emirates. Regarding the way to penetrate a multi-layered defense, Arteta emphasized that the most effective way is to practice well, master the attack and make accurate decisions in the match.
Arsenal will be without Fabio Vieira today - the midfielder has just undergone groin surgery after consulting a specialist and will be out for several weeks. But according to Arteta, the duo of Emile Smith Rowe and Thomas Partey could return before January 2024, and in the meantime, Oleksandr Zinchenko could be promoted to midfield to cover the shortfall in midfield. Meanwhile, Ben White is ready to start while goalkeeper David Raya could start after missing the 1-0 Premier League win over Brentford last weekend due to the terms of his loan deal.
Hong Duy
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