Ahead of Saturday's championship match against Fulgham, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta addressed the problem of a busy schedule. This Premier League game will take place between two Champions League semi-final matches against Atletico Madrid (1:1).
Responding to journalists' concerns about the French League Professional Football League (LFP), which postponed the PSG match before their game with Liverpool, Arteta noted that English clubs would also not be bothered by the same.
" We know everything. If stinks can be created, it would be miraculous,” the gunners’ mentor said.
The history of Arsenal's performances in domestic matches between European Cup battles looks rather alarming: the team recently lost at home to Bournemouth between the quarter-final games.
Since reaching the Champions League in the 2023/24 season, the Londoners have won only one such playoff match (against Everton in Bereznya, which won twice as many goals in the 89th and 90th matches). Last season, the Gunners did not achieve any victories in similar situations (no match with Manchester United and Brentford, defeat with Bournemouth).
The 2023/24 campaign suffered a single defeat at this stage against Aston Valley during the clash with Bayern. This very waste of a point in the 2024 season ended up costing Arsenal the championship title (the rise from the leader added up one more point).
There is no right to mercy in the current championship race: Arsenal are ahead of Manchester City by three points, and may have one more game played. Another upcoming match with a painful injury to Bournemouth, Arteta knows the positive side of the game, noting that the team has an additional five years to renovate.
" And I suspect that the results will be even different. We know the complexity of the opponent and the layout, but I also feel it in the team. We want it so much that tomorrow we will be fresh and ready to grill again.
We did everything we could from the moment of the final whistle in the match against Atletico, so that we could get the best out of ourselves and prepare properly. And now on the right at the entrance to the field,” Arteta said.
Ahead of the London derby, Arsenal faces significant personnel problems. Mikel Arteta confirmed that Kai Gavertz and Jurrien Timber will miss the game through injury. In addition, the role of team captain Martin Edegor will be suspended due to nutrition.