Mikel Arteta has been speaking about how qualifying for the Champions League would benefit Arsenal.
The Gunners have been out of the competition since 2017, spending four seasons in the Europa League and then having no European football at all this term.
However, Arsenal are still in the fight to secure a top-four spot this campaign and, as a result, Mikel Arteta has been asked what difference Champions League football would make to Arsenal:
“Champions League brings first of all the club much closer to where we want [to be]. To play in a competition that has a huge history and relation to our club,” Arteta said.
“And secondly, obviously, it improves every situation, with the sponsors, financially, expectations, the capacity to grow our players and expose them into a different dimension of a competition and this is where we want to be, so it’s a game-changer.
“The Champions League puts you with the best teams in Europe and we definitely want to be there.”
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Chelsea vs Arsenal
Standing in Arsenal’s way next is Chelsea, who they face on Wednesday. Should Arsenal lose to Chelsea, it will likely prove fatal to their chances of finishing 4th.
The north Londoners are currently three points off 4th-place Tottenham with a game in hand.
However, the game in hand comes against Chelsea and, as Arsenal have a dismal record against the big sides this term, it is hard to see Mikel Arteta’s team getting anything out of the game.
Should they lose, they will be three points off Tottenham with just six games left to play. Arsenal’s goal difference is also much worse than Spurs currently, so even if they win their game in hand, they will not overtake Antonio Conte’s side.
