**Arsenal**have arrived at Athletic Club for their first fixture of the league phase in the Champions League. Mikel Arteta anticipates a "difficult" continental campaign, but the challenge excites him.
‘It’s the evolution of the game’
The Champions League leaves top teams with the chance to compete with the best across the continent. Arteta looks forward to a fixture against one of the outfits from the Basque Country, and he is eager to get going with his third attempt at winning the biggest trophy in European football.
“Excited to start from scratch in a beautiful place, a stadium that is going to generate something special. We’re looking forward to that. I’m very excited again to step by step build some momentum.”
Fine margins mean a lot at the elite level, and **Arsenal**have attempted to engineer them through set-pieces in the last 18 months. Their physicality and height have translated well to routines where they rely on the quality of Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice to target key zones outside of open play.
“It’s the evolution of the game. The game is faster, spaces are smaller and everybody is trying to take advantage of other aspects of the game that are obviously key to winning football matches. In the end, you have to dominate everything nowadays in football to give yourself the best chance to win games.”
‘The margins are super small’
The strength of the squad should help manage minutes for the business end of the campaign. Just this weekend, Arteta rested **Declan Rice**for the first hour against Nottingham Forest, Noni Madueke excelled as a deputy for Bukayo Saka, and Cristhian Mosquera filled in for William Saliba.
“Like the rest of the teams that have done the same and continue to do that and have won it on many occasions. That’s the aim in the beginning, but we know it’s going to be a really long journey. The margins in this competition are super small, and you have to be at your very best from day one.”
The growth of the Gunners is undeniable, but trophies are the topic of conversation after nearly six years with Arteta in the dugout. The club reached only their third **Champions League**semi-final last campaign and have still never won the title. Arteta admits that the task will not be a simple one.
“That tells you with our long history how difficult it is because we haven’t won it yet, and that’s the opportunity, that’s how I see it. Pressure is the opportunity that thrives, that energy, that willingness to be better every single day, to make decisions that are in that direction. Every decision has to be with those standards and with those expectations, and let’s give us the best chance to try to do it.”