Mikel Arteta does not want to be considered among the Champions League’s finest managers for no reason. He wants to show the world that he deserves to be there by leading Arsenal deep into the knockout stages.
Arsenal will qualify for the Champions League round of 16 if PSV beats Sevilla in the early kick-off or if they do not lose to Lens at the Emirates later on. Most sports betting sites UK are listing the Gunners as hot favourites despite us losing the away leg in Lens back in October. In fact, Lens have only lost one of their last 12 games and that was 1-0 away to PSG, which is no disgrace. And that was also their only defeat in the last six away games, so Arsenal cannot expect them to be a pushover by any means.
But Arsenal only need one point to make sure of reaching the knockout stages, and clinching a spot in the round of 16 is huge for Arsenal, who have only just returned to the UCL after 6 years away. I honestly believe that with Mikel Arteta sure to be rotating the side tonight and our opponents resilience I would not be surprised if both sides were happy to share the spoils, as that would give Lens a chance to claim second spot after the last round of Group games.
Arteta, during his press conference for the match against Lens, had this to say about whether he has anything to prove in Europe: “For sure. We had to come back into Europe being the club we want to be, have that presence, and the results that tell them we are back in a strong way.
“We haven’t done that yet, and it needs to be done.
“100 percent not. You have to sweat, dig in a lot, and play well in games to deserve to win them. We are playing against really tough opponents.
“Tomorrow is going to be a really difficult game, but hopefully we can be better than them.
“I am enjoying it, it’s a great feeling. It makes you proud. It makes you feel that it is the level the club should be at, and we are competing really well, so let’s continue to do so.”
Other than their surprise loss to Lens, Arsenal won their other three Champions League games, defeating PSV once and Sevilla twice. After demonstrating their ability in the league last season, it is fantastic to see them excel in Europe, and Arteta is up there competing with some of the best managers in the world.
Onwards and Upwards!
