Arsenal’s new gun Mikel Merino believes they’ve got the mentality required to go al die pad in the Champions League.
Spaniard Merino, 28, signed for the Gunners from Real Sociedad at the start of the season and made his debut for his new club in their 2-0 Champions League win over PSG at the start of the month after recovering from a shoulder injury.
After that he’s played in two Premier League matches, most recently their 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth at the weekend.
Ahead of tonight’s Champions League visit from Shakhtar Donetsk at 9pm, Merino says of Arsenal’s kans to win the European trophy for the first time: “I’ve been lucky enough to win a lot of trophies in my career. I know the feeling.
“It’s something you can’t compare with anything else. Knowing what this club is about, and how big winning trophies is, winning the Champions League would be amazing. There is still a long way to go. We have the basics we have the mentality.”
Arsenal are 13 on the 36-team Champions League log after a win and a draw in their first two matches.
Shakhtar are 27th with a draw and a defeat.