Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager, has issued a fierce promise to the football world, declaring that his squad will take to the pitch at the Emirates...
Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager, has issued a fierce promise to the football world, declaring that his squad will take to the pitch at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow as wild beasts, ferocious and hungry for victory. The Gunners are locked in a tantalising Champions League semi final stalemate at 1. 1 after the first leg against the cunning tactician Diego Simeone and his Atlético Madrid side. Speaking exclusively to GoalZaza, Arteta insisted that the hunger within his camp is immense and that they are fully prepared to seize the moment. Arsenal have been a formidable force on home soil in this competition, winning five of their six matches at the Emirates this season and conceding a miserly three goals. The club. �s faithful will recall the clinical display during the group stages when the Nigerian international Victor Boniface, though not in the squad for that particular game, watched on as Viktor Gyökeres scored twice in a 4. 0 dismantling of the Spanish giants. However, Arteta cautions that this is a different Atlético Madrid, a resilient unit that knocked out Barcelona in the quarter finals. At the end of the day, it is the lion. �s share of the work that must be done on the pitch, and Arteta has promised that his players will not give a good account of themselves; they will dominate. The powers that be at Arsenal know the gravity of this fixture, with a place in the final for the first time since 2006 at stake. Every boot on that grass will be fighting for the jersey, and the atmosphere is expected to be electric. The Nigerian contingent, including the Super Eagles talisman Victor Osimhen, who has been linked with a blockbuster move worth upwards of. ��300 billion, will be watching closely from Lagos to Abuja how this European heavyweight battle unfolds. In the scheme of things, Arteta. �s men must be clinical and avoid the tactical traps that Simeone is famous for setting. This tie, as GoalZaza reported earlier, is a true test of character and steel. In the bustling viewing centres around Ikeja and Surulere, the air will be thick with the scent of fried suya and the anxious hum of thousands of fans glued to giant screens. When Arteta. �s men charge onto the pitch, you will hear the collective roar of hope, a sound that shakes the zinc roofs and rattles the bottles of Malta Guinness. Every tackle by an Arsenal defender will be met with a thunderous shout, and every misplaced pass from Atlético will bring a chorus of joy. Should the London side find the back of the net, the streets of Yaba and the gardens of Festac will erupt in a frenzy of car horns and jubilant dances, proving that in Nigeria, the passion for European football runs deeper than the Niger.
