Mikel Arteta has described Arsenal’s upcoming schedule as each “ruthless” and a privilege, together with his facet set to face Bayern Munich and Chelsea within the area of six days after the North London derby.
“We are going to attempt to beat Bayern after which we have now Chelsea – that’s how ruthless the schedule is,” Arteta mentioned. “However on the identical time, how privileged we’re to be concerned in three unbelievable video games in six days.”
Arsenal’s Champions League tie in opposition to Bayern is the headline act. The German champions arrive in London in sturdy type underneath Vincent Kompany, a person Arteta is aware of nicely from his Manchester Metropolis days.
He added: “Each opponent brings completely different challenges. They’re in a terrific second. The extent of consistency they’ve proven in outcomes and performances is spectacular. We all know that, however it’s a huge alternative for us to point out what we’re able to.
“We’ve got the identical intention to win it. We made certain we had excellent preparation once more. We all know the significance of the match. We’re in a extremely sturdy place, we need to keep that for certain.”
Respect for Kompany, rivalry on maintain
The reunion with Kompany provides one other layer to Wednesday’s conflict. Arteta was stuffed with admiration for his former team-mate.
“My feeling was he was going to be glorious at no matter he selected to do. I’m very comfortable issues are going so nicely for him as a result of he’s such a gift, clever love for the sport. I knew no matter he was going to the touch he was going to make it actually good. I’m not stunned in any respect”, he mentioned.
That respect might be put aside as soon as the whistle blows. Bayern’s attacking risk is arguably the very best in Europe, and Arteta is aware of Arsenal’s defence might be examined.
“That is the type of recreation within the competitors that we need to face. They’ve been very constant in each competitions. Tomorrow is a good take a look at for us to see the place we’re.”
Arsenal head into the tie buoyed by their derby win over Tottenham. Arteta desires that very same aggression to hold into Europe. “We’ve got to ensure we feature that vitality to the stadium, to every particular person, and that we play with the identical aggression, dominance, effectivity in opposition to a high facet.”