Mikel Arteta don talk say im team ready to take the final step and win major silverware for Arsenal. The Gunners dey face Burnley for Monday Night Football, and a win go put dem five points clear for Premier League top. If Manchester City no fit beat Bournemouth for Tuesday, Arsenal go be champion.
Arsenal dey aim to end 22-year wait for Premier League glory, after three second-place finishes for the last three seasons. Arteta tell Sky Sports say the pain of those near-misses dey drive dem. He say, “When you see the trajectory and what we don build for the last few years, especially for the last four years for terms of consistency, the amount of points and wins, we suppose don get some big trophies already. That only happen for this league, but that dey drive you to be even better. So we still get to make that step of finalising the business and that’s the opportunity we get for the next three days.”
Arteta add say e don be collective effort since im appointment for 2019 to bring Arsenal to this point. He say, “There are so many people wey dey contribute daily to create and to build what for our eyes be the best path and the best way to do am. And then you get to earn am day by day, adapt to the circumstances, mould am, change am, and when the ownership show the ambition wey dem get, when our supporters show the ambition wey dem get, when the team, the players, all the staff show the ambition wey dem get, at the end e go come.”
The Arsenal boss go face Burnley without Ben White, wey don suffer season-ending knee injury from the 1-0 win against West Ham United. Jurrien Timber still dey sideline, so Cristhian Mosquera go fill for right-back. Arteta talk say, “I think part of challenging the big trophies, especially for this country, be very adaptable and finding a way within the circumstances to remain very competitive and resilient. The team don show that for the last 10 months. There be three games to go now. The only one wey matter now na Burnley and with the circumstances we get and certain injuries, how we go go out there and be the best version of ourselves?”
Manchester City dey two points behind Arsenal but don move level on goal difference with their 3-0 win over Crystal Palace. Arteta say, “The only thing we get to do na earn the right to be better than the opposition. That go lead to giving a big probability to win the game and then the rest might come. But we need to do that, and when you watch dem play a few days ago against Aston Villa, you know say e go be tough game.”
For the Burnley game, Arsenal go make two changes from the side wey beat West Ham. Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz go start, while Myles Lewis-Skelly and Viktor Gyokeres drop to the bench. Burnley, wey don already be relegated, dey led by caretaker boss Mike Jackson. Dem draw 2-2 with Aston Villa last time out. Max Weiss go continue for goal for dem.
Arteta praise the second-half changes wey allow Arsenal to beat West Ham after im first-half decision to move Declan Rice to right-back for the injured White backfire. He say, “You get to put everything on the table first to make that decision. Then, the decision wey you make be for a period of time for the game, because maybe you go make a sub at 60 minutes wey don already be planned because a player no fit play 90 minutes, and then you get to do am again. I think the key be to analyse all the circumstances and then follow your gut feeling.”
Arsenal predicted lineup: Raya; Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapié; Lewis-Skelly, Rice; Saka, Eze, Trossard; Gyökeres. Burnley predicted lineup: Weiß; Walker, Tuanzebe, Estève, Pires; Luís, Ugochukwu; Tchaouna, Amdouni, Anthony; Flemming.
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