Mikel Arteta has called on his Arsenal players to have ‘courage’ in what is sure to be an intense atmosphere as the club prepare to face Olympiakos in the Europa League tonight.
Arsenal travel to Athens for the first leg of their Round of 32 clash this evening, looking to secure a positive result to take back to the Emirates as the club look to reach the final of the Europa League for the second successive season.
Arteta has warned his side to expect a raucous atmosphere ahead of their trip to the Karaiskakis Stadium, and wants the Gunners to show ‘courage’ in their ability to play as they deal with a hostile reception from their Greek hosts.
“It is part of the process,” Arteta said at his pre-match press conference. “You don’t know [how they will react] until you expose them.
“They can have the best intention but they need to go to a stadium like here and, when they make a mistake or a bad decision, have the courage to try again and play again.
“I want to see that in my players, whether they are 17 or 35. That’s what I expect from them. If they keep trying, they have my full support. If they hide after that, I don’t like it. But what I’ve seen up to now, every time they play on that field, they are responding really, really well.”
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