Mikel Merino has boldly claimed that Arsenal will bounce back from their first-leg defeat against Paris St Germain by going behind enemy lines to book their place in the Champions League final.
The Gunners’ hopes of reaching next month’s showpiece hang by a thread after Ousmane Dembele fired PSG to a one-goal advantage in the last-four tie.
Mikel Arteta’s players were outclassed for most of the first half at the Emirates, and although Merino had a goal ruled out for offside in the opening moments of the second period, PSG went within inches of doubling their lead when they struck the crossbar towards the end.
However, speaking ahead of next week’s return encounter at the Parc des Princes, Merino said: “Paris is a tough place to go, but we have always proved that we can compete against anybody, and with all due respect, I think we are going to win the second leg.
“We have proved we can win anywhere, the Bernabeu (beating Real Madrid 2-1) and against any side in the Premier League, too, so that gives us a lot of confidence.
“The result (at the Emirates) changes nothing because the mentality of this team is always to win, even if we were three up going to Paris.
“We had massive chances to level the game, we couldn’t, but the team is full of confidence, full of energy for the second leg, and we have the motivation to win this for our fans and for ourselves.”
Merino reverted to midfield for the first leg, with Thomas Partey suspended. But with Partey available for the next match in Paris on Wednesday, Merino could be restored to the spearhead of Arsenal’s attack.
The Gunners’ sole hopes of silverware for the season rest on the Champions League – a trophy they have never won before – after Liverpool wrapped up the Premier League title with four matches remaining.
But Merino continued: “We don’t have to prove things to other people. We have to prove things to ourselves because we are our main critic, and we are the ones that want to win the most.
“I am telling you that the amount of pressure we put on ourselves in every training session to get better and to win against anybody is huge.
“So we want to be proud of the work we are putting in, and make our fans proud, and that is why we are going to go in the second leg with all the energy in the world.”
