Arsenal Sent Brutal Taunt Ahead Of Huge Champions League Showdown

1 jam yang lalu

Inter defender Manuel Akanji described Tuesday’s opponents Arsenal arsenic 1 of nan champion teams successful Europe, but based on nan Gunners still person activity to do earlier being recognised arsenic nan undisputed best.

Arsenal are enjoying a thoroughly successful campaign, sitting 7 points clear successful nan Premier League title title and comfortably astatine nan apical of nan Champions League standings arsenic nan only broadside to triumph each six of their erstwhile outings this season.

Next to trial Arsenal’s cleanable European streak will beryllium Inter, who big nan Gunners astatine San Siro connected Tuesday. The Nerazzurri are sixth successful nan array and looking to assistance their bid for automatic qualification. Akanji, connected indebtedness astatine Inter from Arsenal’s home rivals Manchester City, could not defy teasing Mikel Arteta’s broadside earlier kick-off.

“I deliberation Arsenal are among nan champion teams successful Europe,” he began. “For maine they’re not nan very best, but they are surely among nan apical sides, truthful it will beryllium a awesome challenge, but we’re ready.”

Inter person history connected their side, having beaten Arsenal astatine this shape of nan title conscionable 12 months ago. Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s punishment sewage nan occupation done successful a 1–0 triumph which was acold much analyzable for Inter than nan scoreline mightiness suggest.

Akanji: Team Performance Can Seal Another Victory

Arsenal fell to Inter past season. | Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images

“It’s difficult to comparison pinch past twelvemonth because I wasn’t here,” Akanji admitted erstwhile asked astir nan challenges of past season’s fixture.

“Arsenal are a beardown squad and they people a lot, particularly from group pieces. In Europe, you ever look apical attacking players: Atlético [Madrid] and Liverpool besides had very beardown forwards. We’ll decidedly person to enactment focused.

“We’ll request to beryllium clinical. When you play against apical teams, each correction tin beryllium punished, but nan aforesaid applies to them. We person to beryllium ruthless and objective successful beforehand of goal, while besides being tidy successful possession. It won’t beryllium easy, but we person to play arsenic a team.”

Finally, Akanji was asked which sides he holds supra Arsenal successful his individual rankings of Europe’s finest. “For me, Bayern [Munich] are nan strongest squad successful Europe correct now,” he said. “They play awesome football, people a batch of goals and concede very few.”