The Prague Post - Arsenal target Champions League glory to save season

EUR -
AED 4.133016
AFN 79.014964
ALL 98.31862
AMD 437.773181
ANG 2.028041
AOA 1029.611125
ARS 1251.855289
AUD 1.757365
AWG 2.028278
AZN 1.917126
BAM 1.956188
BBD 2.27115
BDT 136.667097
BGN 1.957015
BHD 0.424126
BIF 3346.233724
BMD 1.125258
BND 1.460277
BOB 7.772472
BRL 6.358049
BSD 1.124823
BTN 95.99718
BWP 15.25155
BYN 3.680997
BYR 22055.058879
BZD 2.259428
CAD 1.566056
CDF 3235.116973
CHF 0.935354
CLF 0.027388
CLP 1050.991307
CNY 8.130384
CNH 8.147347
COP 4784.788761
CRC 570.908121
CUC 1.125258
CUP 29.81934
CVE 110.286867
CZK 24.935346
DJF 200.293482
DKK 7.46036
DOP 66.183122
DZD 149.756373
EGP 56.958762
ERN 16.878872
ETB 150.919382
FJD 2.555122
FKP 0.847092
GBP 0.847505
GEL 3.100118
GGP 0.847092
GHS 14.790472
GIP 0.847092
GMD 80.45191
GNF 9740.931344
GTQ 8.651715
GYD 236.009453
HKD 8.752319
HNL 29.224002
HRK 7.533489
HTG 146.89782
HUF 404.826792
IDR 18607.661882
ILS 3.992618
IMP 0.847092
INR 96.074256
IQD 1473.603486
IRR 47387.433667
ISK 146.914045
JEP 0.847092
JMD 178.79545
JOD 0.79826
JPY 163.330066
KES 145.386217
KGS 98.404068
KHR 4502.852769
KMF 487.764367
KPW 1012.925798
KRW 1575.676432
KWD 0.345139
KYD 0.937357
KZT 580.499938
LAK 24314.604801
LBP 100782.086532
LKR 336.073647
LRD 224.962604
LSL 20.458156
LTL 3.322595
LVL 0.680658
LYD 6.164222
MAD 10.405863
MDL 19.278223
MGA 5060.958465
MKD 61.534193
MMK 2362.75524
MNT 4023.127953
MOP 9.011706
MRU 44.812885
MUR 51.435748
MVR 17.340245
MWK 1950.369369
MXN 21.946483
MYR 4.835229
MZN 71.903861
NAD 20.459702
NGN 1811.046958
NIO 41.391333
NOK 11.667205
NPR 153.595088
NZD 1.909774
OMR 0.433205
PAB 1.124813
PEN 4.086719
PGK 4.66876
PHP 62.416374
PKR 316.774807
PLN 4.23953
PYG 8992.783008
QAR 4.104414
RON 5.118577
RSD 117.233244
RUB 93.958644
RWF 1616.870287
SAR 4.220687
SBD 9.39686
SCR 15.963385
SDG 675.715336
SEK 10.919375
SGD 1.46018
SHP 0.884276
SLE 25.576714
SLL 23596.081583
SOS 642.82174
SRD 40.798425
STD 23290.570909
SVC 9.841951
SYP 14633.498546
SZL 20.448873
THB 37.125708
TJS 11.641705
TMT 3.949656
TND 3.385971
TOP 2.635468
TRY 43.601462
TTD 7.641447
TWD 34.013207
TZS 3035.387599
UAH 46.726103
UGX 4116.816245
USD 1.125258
UYU 47.019323
UZS 14487.872525
VES 102.509005
VND 29232.517709
VUV 135.84037
WST 3.117633
XAF 656.081251
XAG 0.034527
XAU 0.000337
XCD 3.041067
XDR 0.808666
XOF 656.087083
XPF 119.331742
YER 275.127045
ZAR 20.483867
ZMK 10128.668579
ZMW 29.610608
ZWL 362.332651
  • RYCEF

    -0.0500

    10.55

    -0.47%

  • RELX

    -0.0214

    53.48

    -0.04%

  • RBGPF

    2.8600

    65.86

    +4.34%

  • CMSC

    0.0150

    22.125

    +0.07%

  • VOD

    0.0850

    9.335

    +0.91%

  • RIO

    0.5850

    59.765

    +0.98%

  • NGG

    0.6100

    70.79

    +0.86%

  • GSK

    0.1850

    37.055

    +0.5%

  • SCS

    -0.0400

    10.44

    -0.38%

  • CMSD

    0.0050

    22.335

    +0.02%

  • BCC

    -0.3900

    89.19

    -0.44%

  • BCE

    0.6150

    22.845

    +2.69%

  • JRI

    0.0300

    12.98

    +0.23%

  • AZN

    1.1300

    68.43

    +1.65%

  • BTI

    -1.1700

    42.13

    -2.78%

  • BP

    1.0550

    29.645

    +3.56%

Arsenal target Champions League glory to save season
Arsenal target Champions League glory to save season / Photo: Glyn KIRK - AFP/File

Arsenal target Champions League glory to save season

Arsenal face Real Madrid on Wednesday with one foot already in the Champions League semi-finals but with the added pressure of knowing their entire season hinges on the result at the Bernabeu.

Text size:

Mikel Arteta's men last week demolished the defending champions 3-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final in London and are favourites to reach the last four of Europe's top club competition for only the third time.

But all their eggs are now in one basket as they seek to end their trophy drought, with leaders Liverpool almost out of sight in the Premier League.

Arsenal, who have never been crowned European champions, have become used to battling for the English league title -- narrowly losing out to Manchester City in the past two seasons.

This year it has been their misfortune to be competing against a Liverpool team that flew out of the blocks in Arne Slot's first season at Anfield.

Arsenal have had chances to put the pressure on the runaway leaders but 12 draws in the Premier League, and just two wins in their past seven games, have cost them.

Saturday's 1-1 draw at home to mid-table Brentford meant the Gunners finished the weekend 13 points behind Liverpool, who could wrap up a record-equalling 20th English league title as early as next weekend.

Arteta denied that his players had been distracted by their upcoming match in Spain but his team selection showed where his priorities lie in the final weeks of the season.

The Spaniard made five changes to the side that beat Madrid, with winger Bukayo Saka and captain Martin Odegaard left out of the starting line-up.

Afterwards, he turned his attentions to Real Madrid.

"We still have six games to play in the Premier League, which are going to be really important, for sure," he said. "But, for now, it's all about Wednesday."

Arsenal will travel to Madrid in high spirits, even though the 15-time European champions regularly defy logic in the competition, meaning Arteta will not breathe easily until the final whistle.

Even if the Gunners do make it through, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona -- both hugely impressive -- are also expected to progress to the semi-finals.

- High-wire act -

Arsenal's high-wire act means they risk ending the season without major silverware for a fifth straight season despite the undoubted progress made under Arteta.

And the Gunners' hold on second place in the Premier League is by no means secure.

They are six points above a faltering Nottingham Forest. Newcastle, in fourth spot, are seven points behind but have a game in hand and are in a rich vein of form.

Arteta said after the Brentford draw that the club were disappointed to find themselves so far adrift of Liverpool.

"It is difficult because obviously there are a lot of reasons why we are with that distance (to Liverpool in the Premier League) and the amount of things that we have to deal with and still we are where we but yeah, we want to be higher, that's for sure," he said.

Despite their stumbles, Arsenal are almost certain to secure one of the five qualification places for next season's Champions League.

But slipping below second would dent the Gunners' pride and challenge the perception that they are making relentless progress towards their first Premier League title since 2004.

Arteta still has the rest of this season to think about even as he starts plotting how to strengthen for the 2025/26 campaign.

The Gunners could make club history in Europe in the next few weeks but if they fall short, the season could end with a whimper.

G.Kucera--TPP