Mikel Arteta has urged Arsenal to show “no fear, pure fire” as they face Sporting Lisbon in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg.
The manager’s rallying cry comes after a damaging home defeat to Bournemouth that left Manchester City closing in at the top of the Premier League and raised questions about Arsenal’s resilience.
With Bukayo Saka sidelined by injury, summer signing Eberechi Eze is expected to shoulder creative responsibility.
Arteta insists setbacks are part of the journey: “We are trying to do something that hasn’t been done in 140 years of the club’s history.”
Victory would secure back-to-back semi-final appearances for the first time, keeping alive hopes of silverware despite recent stumbles.
