Mikel Arteta not looking ahead, just focused on beating Dinamo Zagreb

LONDON – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta knows the value of victory against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League at the Emirates on Jan 22, and it is not just three points.

With his side sitting third in the standings on 13 points and with just two more league-phase games remaining, the Spaniard wants to seal automatic qualification as soon as possible.

In doing so, Arsenal would avoid the two-legged play-offs.

That would reduce fixture congestion and be a welcome break for a side looking to challenge for their first-ever Champions League crown and win their first English Premier League title since 2004.

Competing on both fronts, with a squad hit by injuries, has taken a toll on performances and results, especially domestically.

In Europe, the Gunners sit pretty, but one slip could send them tumbling out of the automatic places – the top-eight spots out of 36 teams – as only one point separates third and 12th.

Arsenal will take on La Liga side Girona at Estadi Montilivi in their last game of the league phase on Jan 29.

Given the precarious nature of qualification, Arteta’s cautious approach is understandable.

“Let’s do what we have to do first (to win against Dinamo). We’re talking about the Champions League. If we manage to do that, we will have the ideas to make that decision,” he said at a press conference on Jan 21.

He is also wary of Fabio Cannavaro’s side, saying: “They have a lot of talent.

“They have some individuals that catch your eye, you have in your head the players that played for that club.”

But he is also confident of Arsenal getting the job done at home, having not lost at the Emirates in both the Champions League and Premier League this season.

There have been impressive wins too, including a

2-0 victory over French champions Paris Saint-Germain,

and the visitors’ poor form would bolster Arsenal’s confidence.

Zagreb have failed to score from 16 attempts in their last two Champions League games – a 3-0 defeat by Borussia Dortmund and 0-0 draw with Celtic.

While they have clinched their only two wins of the league phase away from home, seeing off RB Salzburg and Slovan Bratislava, they have also suffered a 9-2 humiliation at Bayern Munich.

To further compound matters, the Croatian giants are lacking competitive match practice ahead of the midweek trip to north London. Their domestic league has not restarted since their Christmas break and they have taken to the field for only two friendly games in 2025.

Arteta also revealed that centre-back William Saliba is recovering well from a hamstring injury but will not be available against Zagreb, which is also the case for defenders Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu (both knee), and attackers Bukayo Saka (hamstring) and Gabriel Jesus (knee).

On the positive side for the Gunners, Ethan Nwaneri (muscle) and Riccardo Calafiori “returned today for training and they will be available for the game”.