Mikel Arteta is anticipating a special occasion at Emirates Stadium for Sunday’s final home game of the Premier League season as we look to beat Newcastle United to second place.
A win against the Magpies would make it impossible for Eddie Howe’s side to catch us on the final day, while Manchester City currently trail us by three points but are nine behind on goal difference.
It also still remains mathematically possible for Chelsea, Aston Villa or Nottingham Forest to reach second, so we’ve got our sights set on ending the season on a high in front of our supporters.
“It's been a phenomenal effort from all of them, understanding the circumstances,” Mikel Arteta said in his pre-match press conference on Friday. “It's our last home game, and it's always a very special occasion.
“It's our chance to wrap up the Champions League, to put ourselves in a really strong position for the second place, and in a way to say thank you again to all of our supporters for the amazing season.
“They've been on every journey, in every ground, making the effort to travel with us everywhere and at home as well. I think it's one of the best days in the season when you have to just say thank you to them and they can say what they feel as well about the team.”
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Asked about how special the atmosphere at Emirates Stadium has been this season, our manager added: “I think it's growing and growing and that's what we want to do. I think we have raised expectations so much and we understand what they want.
“We want it more than anybody else and the journey makes sense when you have that support, that love and that chemistry between the people that feel very attached to this club, the players and the staff and I think that's the case, but we know that we all want much more.”
At the end of a long and demanding campaign, Mikel reiterated that his players still have two more big performances in them for the final games against Newcastle and Southampton.
“We're going to need a big one and be very clinical because we know the qualities of Newcastle,” he explained. “We know the results that we had lately against them and how thin the margins are with them and especially how clinical we have to be in front of them to score the goals.”
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