Arsenal’s head coach can’t wait to face the most successful team in Champions League history. However, he isn’t taking his eyes off the Premier League challenge either.
Realistically, Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League title are slim. Their best hope for silverware lies in the Champions League. But the road to glory won’t be easy—standing in their way in the quarter-finals is none other than Real Madrid, the competition’s record 15-time champions. Though the showdown is set for next month, Mikel Arteta is already excited about the challenge. At the same time, he remains focused on the Premier League, with immediate attention on getting back to winning ways against Chelsea.
Arsenal cruised into the Champions League quarter-finals with a dominant 9-3 aggregate victory over PSV Eindhoven. Now, they prepare to face Real Madrid, a team with an unmatched legacy in European football.
The two sides have only met once before in the competition. In the 2005-06 season, Arsenal knocked out Real Madrid in the Round of 16 en route to the final. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Arteta expressed his eagerness to take on Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
“It’s an exciting draw. We’re going up against the most historically successful team in the competition. We’re really looking forward to it. But before that, we have some big Premier League matches ahead.”
Arsenal’s recent struggles in the league have hurt their title hopes. Without a win in their last three matches, they now trail league leaders Liverpool by 15 points. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest (51 points) and Chelsea (49 points) have closed the gap.
Despite sitting second in the table with 55 points, Arsenal’s last encounter with Chelsea was a dominant 5-0 victory at home. However, Arteta acknowledges that under Enzo Maresca’s guidance, Chelsea has transformed. He expects a tough contest on Sunday.
“This will be a battle between two teams that want to dominate the game. Both sides are aggressive in their high pressing and want to control possession.”
