Date: 13th September 2015 at 5:00pm
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Arsenal defender Nacho Monreal insists the gunners have the necessary mental fortitude to overcome Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday night. Arsenal face a tricky trip to the Maksimir Stadium as they open their Champions League campaign, with the Croatians in sensational domestic form.

They have been dubbed the Invincibles in their own right after going unbeaten in the entire Prva Liga campaign last season.

They won 4-0 away at Lokomotiva Zagreb on Friday, extending their unbeaten stretch to 41 matches since losing to Astra Giurgiu in the group stages of the Europa League in November 2014.

Monreal says Arsenal will be wary and ready for the challenge that awaits, and maintain the squad has the necessary experience to navigate through unscathed.

“Everywhere you play, the atmosphere is massive, it does not matter if it is Champions League or if it is Premier League,” he said in an ESPN report.

“Every single game there is a lot of pressure when you play away, but we are used to it and we have the experience to cope with playing in big away matches.”

“It is more psychological than it is physical, but we are accustomed to it, so it won’t affect us. It will be a big test for us, but if we concentrate on our strengths we know we can perform well.”

Arsenal of course have been drawn in the same group as Bayern Munich, and Monreal conceded that the German giants are the favourites in many’s eyes to top the group. A double header with the Bundesliga giants awaits after Wednesday’s clash and a home match against Olympiacos, but first things first and Monreal says Arsenal are focusing on the Croatian and Greek sides.

“We want to pass through into the next stage, and we know that the favourite in our group is probably Bayern Munich, so we know we need to do well against Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiacos.

“It will be really positive for us to start with three points on Wednesday in Zagreb, as it will give us a good start and confidence for the rest of the group stage.”

“In the Champions League, you don’t play too many games, so if you make a mistake you pay for it, as we found out last season against Monaco.”

“We just need to be focussed on getting a good start in the competition.”

Zagreb’s great form will mean very little to Arsenal, who are rightly the favourites in this match. So long as the gunners produce a complete performance on the day, it should be a fairly comfortable win. Zagreb have struggled mightily in Europe, and so long as Arsenal turn up, their struggle should continue.

 

One response to “Arsenal left back looking forward to Dinamo Zagreb test”

  1. bloson Nang'oni says:

    Dynam Zagreb is a must win game. Arsenal while visiting Zagreb i think coach Arsene Wenger will feed the strong team wth ‘ll play against them on wednesday UCL kick off….. #YaGunnersYa-le gooo.