Arsenal legend Paul Mason hopes that Mikel Arteta will be able to rest some celebrities for today’s Premier League match against Brentford.
After winning the first leg at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, Gunners are up 3-0 against Real Madrid, but with the ready for the second leg at the Bernabeu, you’ll probably feel the tie isn’t finished yet.
Without playing in the Premier League, Mason suggests that Arteta’s focus is exclusively on the Champions League.
This may mean that Merson named Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, naming the three who might be saved for Madrid, and that the main players have rested for today’s game.
Will Arsenal give players a rest and focus on the Champions League?
Marson certainly is right, as Arsenal doesn’t want to risk injuries prior to his trip to Spain.
Written in Sportkida’s column, the former gunner said:
“I don’t think Mikel Arteta is moving on to the Champions League semi-finals despite his team’s 3-0 win, so I hope he will give a few players a break against Brentford.
“Arsenal is 10 points away from sixth place Manchester City, so he will be in the driver’s seat for next season’s Champions League qualifiers.
“They don’t have the opportunity to win a league title anymore, so they focus on the Champions League.
“I didn’t start Bukayosaka with this game. He was excellent mid-week. Arsenal needs to make him fresh into the second leg.
“The same applies to Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, so we expect some changes to Raheem Sterling’s potential involvement from the start.”
Arsenal has never won the Champions League, but this could be a real opportunity for them this season.
The North London Giants are pretty sure to score second in the Premier League and have built a good tally lead over Real Madrid so there’s nothing else to play.
As Arsenal is now nearing the semi-finals, they will certainly feel that everything is worth putting in place to win the biggest club competition in Europe for the first time.