Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is well within the buzz of an impending Champions League quarter-final clash with Real Madrid, but he’s not allowing it to distract his team from their immediate Premier League business. As he continues to focus on the domestic war ahead of a crucial London derby against Chelsea, Arteta has his one eye on European success.
Well, let’s be honest, if you conduct Real Madrid in the Champions League, you definitely dip a bottle of champagne or, well, stress eating. Arteta? And he is doing neither, knowing only too well how to bring down the 15-time Champions and not spoil Arsenal’s pursuit of the Premier League.
Arsenal vs. Real Madrid: A Historic Showdown Awaits
Arsenal crushed PSV Eindhoven 9-3 on aggregate to get to the final showdown with the biggest Champions League bully, Real Madrid. More than most teams have first-team defenders with capabilities to put them on European trophies, the Spanish giants have a clear advantage.
As well as appreciating the past, Arteta sounds like a man intent on rewriting it. Arsenal last faced Real Madrid in 2006 and beat them on the way to the final. Arteta’s squad, however, is ready for the fight, and revenge is fine by Madrid.
First they have to take care of Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium to worry about the Bernabéu lights. This is not last year’s Chelsea, the one beaten 5-0 by Arsenal. With a new boss in Enzo Maresca, Chelsea is a different beast and only six points adrift from the Gunners.
Arteta also predicted it would be ‘two teams wanting to dominate and press very, very aggressively, no margin, no soft tackles.’
The Chelsea match for Arsenal is a must win because they are 15 points adrift of champions-elect Liverpool with their recent three-match winless run. For Arteta, it is as simple as that: Deal with home business before thinking about European conquests.
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