Their opponents on Wednesday (IST) are the definition of championship pedigree, having lifted the most prestigious title in Europe a record 15 times
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta believes his side is ready to win and beat Real Madrid in what is set up to be the biggest game the side have played in years at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
After suffering embarrassing Round of 16 exits and failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the past decade, the Gunners have now become one of the most consistent sides in Europe but a major trophy still eludes the team.
Their opponents on Wednesday (IST) are the definition of championship pedigree, having lifted the most prestigious title in Europe a record 15 times. However, the Gunners head coach is confident heading into the encounter and remained adamant that his team is ‘ready to deliver’ on the grand stage. “8pm tomorrow night (local time), 11 players, 60,000 people, really super convinced that we are ready to win and to beat them. That’s the mindset that I want.
“It is a joy to prepare the game, to look at them, just to look at the reaction of people and how we feel about ourselves coming into a game of that magnitude. The excitement around the club, the people, this is the stage we want to be, where Arsenal have to be consistently. We are very proud to be there and now we are very ready tomorrow to deliver,” said Arteta in the pre-match press conference.
The two sides have met just once before in a Champions League tie, which saw the Gunners prevail courtesy of Thierry Henry’s sole goal across the two legs in 2006. A majority of Arsenal’s issues this season can be attributed to injuries, but with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli back in the side, things were looking up for the North London outfit until the injury to Gabriel Magalhaes against Fulham, which has ruled the Brazilian anchor out until the end of the season.
With a gaping hole in defence, Real Madrid will certainly look to take advantage, considering the level of attacking prowess at their disposal in the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham.
The Gunners head coach discussed the impact these players can have for the Madrid side and talked about the need to ‘prevent’ them from taking the game away for Los Blancos. “With the individual qualities that they have, especially when you put them in certain situations, you know the danger you are facing. That’s why consistently they have been doing what they’ve been doing in this competition. They can create those moments, and when it comes to the biggest stage, individual performance play can decide the games, are critical for your success and it is something we have to prevent for sure,” the Spaniard said.
