Arsenal enter the Champions League final after winning their first Premier League title in 22 years, and Mikel Arteta rejects the idea that pressure is off. He says he and the players are hungry for additional trophies and want to build on recent success. Arteta expects Jurrien Timber to start after recovering from a groin injury, though he has not played since mid-March. Arsenal have not won the Champions League and previously lost a final in 2006 to Barcelona. Arteta emphasizes confidence, clarity, courage, and relentless desire to win, aiming to write a new chapter in the club’s history. PSG are favored to retain the European crown after beating major knockout opponents and winning their first European title last year.
"Mikel Arteta has dismissed suggestions the pressure is off Arsenal in Saturday's Champions League final after their first Premier League title for 22 years and insists he and his players are hungry for more trophies. Paris Saint-Germain, who defeated Arsenal in the semi-finals last year before being crowned European champions for the first time, saw off Chelsea, Liverpool and Bayern Munich in the knockout stages and are strongly fancied to retain their crown."
"Jurrien Timber looks likely to start after Arteta confirmed the Netherlands defender had recovered from a groin injury, although he has not featured since the win over Everton on 14 March. Arsenal have yet to win the Champions League and reached the final on one previous occasion, in 2006, when they were defeated by Barcelona. Arteta is determined Arsenal seize their opportunity on the biggest stage in club football after finally ending their long wait for the league title."
"The ambition is bigger, the manager said. We have one, and now we want the second one. That's all we've been talking about. There has to be a platform to reach bigger destinations and to aim for more. And the team is capable, because we've shown it in the last two seasons, in this competition. What we've done this season in the competition, and I want the players to be so confident that we're going to win."
"Arteta, asked whether he had noticed something different when he looks in the eyes of his players, said: That they want more. Going through those moments brings you a different kind of desire. Because you lift it, you know exactly how it feels. You want to reproduce that feeling as many times as possible. We have the opportunity to write a new chapter in the history of this football club. And in order to do that, we have to play with such clarity, a lot of courage, and a relentless desire to win."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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