Mikel Arteta calls for Arsenal to ‘sweat and give a lot’ in crucial Champions League clash against Lens

LONDON – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has urged his players to “sweat” as the Gunners prepare to welcome French Ligue 1 side Lens to the Emirates for their Champions League clash on Nov 29.

Arteta’s men need just one more point from Group B to progress to the knockout stage, and will be favourites to clinch a victory considering that they are playing at home.

Arsenal have nine points from a possible 12 but will be wary that they had lost 2-1 to the same opponents in the reverse fixture in October, and Arteta is not taking his foot off the gas.

“It’s not easy to qualify out of the group, 100 per cent. You need to sweat and give a lot in games to win,” he said.

“But it makes me proud and it makes me feel that this is the level this club should be at.

“We have come back to Europe to be the club that we want to be. To tell the people we are back in the way that we want to be.”

Following consecutive defeats by West Ham United and Newcastle United, the Gunners bounced back with a 2-0 Champions League win over Sevilla, as well as beating Burnley (3-1) and Brentford (1-0) in the league.

They are top of the English Premier League, one point ahead of Manchester City.

With that league spot safe for now, Arteta will turn his attention to Europe, where his side are guaranteed to finish in the top two if they avoid defeat against Franck Haise’s men.

They will also win the group if they can beat Lens.

No visiting team have left the Emirates with a win this season, so Arteta will be keen to keep that record intact.

He also highlighted the importance of winger Bukayo Saka, who assisted Kai Havertz in scoring the winner against Brentford.

“He is one of our most dangerous players. The impact he has in games is crucial for us,” Arteta said.

“Getting to the top is one thing but maintaining it is another. He has got the right mentality. The right family. The right advice round him. That’s what makes him special.”

The Arsenal boss will be boosted by a fairly healthy squad, except for Thomas Partey, Jurrien Timber and Emile Smith Rowe.

He also confirmed that Fabio Vieira has had a groin operation and will be out for weeks, while Ben White is “feeling good and available for this game” after returning from injury in the Brentford win.

Lens left-back Deiver Machado is a doubt, while Jimmy Cabot and Wuilker Farinez remain sidelined.

Lens are in third place, level on five points with PSV Eindhoven.

They were unbeaten in their first three matches before losing 1-0 to the Dutch side the last time.

Haise’s men, however, have beaten Marseille 1-0 and Clermont 3-0 in their previous two Ligue 1 matches following that PSV defeat.

“The level that awaits us on Wednesday is a big mountain stage,” the coach said.

“We will have to rise to this level. We did it once. We’ll see if we can do it twice.”