Ahead of Arsenal’s first-round away match against Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League, Gunners manager Mikel Arteta sat down for an interview with camel.live reporters.
Mikel Arteta, it’s a pleasure to have you on our Champions League channel. Good luck for tomorrow’s game. My first question is: I can imagine this stadium brings back some memories for you. When you step onto the pitch of this stadium—one with such a long history in Spanish football—do you have any favorite memories, or which match stands out most in your mind?
It makes me feel very close to home, close to my family, because I know this club’s culture, history, and what it represents in the Basque Country very well. I’ve never been to this new stadium before, and they haven’t experienced the Champions League in a long time. Obviously, we’re looking forward to the atmosphere we’ll feel here.
For you, does this place have a special significance because of your roots, the meaning of these fans, and where you come from? What kind of feelings does it bring you? I also want to ask about your team—how is Arsenal doing right now?
The momentum is really good, very positive. The game against Liverpool was indeed tough, but the Premier League is highly competitive.
How does it feel for your team to be back in the Champions League? Last time, you came so close to success in the semi-finals—do you feel like you want to go further this time?
Now we have to start over, from scratch. Tomorrow is the first game, and as I said, it will be a very difficult one. But we’re kicking off a new season in this competition we love with great enthusiasm. The opponent will pose a big challenge for us, but obviously, we’re ready to win.
Earlier, before the press conference, I also asked Ernesto Valverde about their “pain point”—Athletic Bilbao fans say Nico (Williams) is absent. What do you think? Is this a major blow for them? Considering he’s a key player, will it make the game easier for you in some way?
No, it won’t, because we’re also missing Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Martin Ødegaard, and Bukayo Saka. Every team has its own situation. So we just need to focus on our own business and try to do better than the opponent—that’s all.
Final question: Given your possession-based style of play and the way Ernesto Valverde’s team plays, what kind of game do you expect tomorrow? Where will the key to tomorrow’s showdown lie?
It will be a very physically intense game that will push us to our limits, because the atmosphere here will force us to be very precise and aggressive. Of course, as always, we also aim to take control, dominate the game, control the pitch, and remain brave as we always do.
