EXCLUSIVE: LEANDRO TROSSARD WANTS ARSENAL TO ‘COME BACK EVEN STRONGER’ AHEAD OF BAYERN UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TEST

Apr 17, 2024

There will be plenty of scrutiny on Arsenal when they face Bayern Munich in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg at the Allianz Arena. The Gunners are aiming to reach the last four of the competition for the first time since the 2008/09 season, and will be hoping for a response after a dismal 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday. The two sides are level at 2-2 on aggregate.

Leandro Trossard has urged his Arsenal team-mates to “come back even stronger” heading into their finely-poised UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

Trossard scored a crucial equaliser in a 2-2 first-leg draw at the Emirates, with The Gunners targeting a first semi-final appearance in 15 years. This is the culmination of four potentially season-defining days for Mikel Arteta’s side, who saw their Premier League title aspirations take a huge hit after a shock 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday.

“It’s a big game for everyone, and we want to win that game to get through to the semis.

“We’ve shown it already this season that when we have a loss or draw, we want to come back even stronger.

“It’s a great opportunity to show that; everyone is ready and we want to win the game.

“Up.

until the last game we had such an incredible run; and we still have that belief to come here to get a result.”

The Belgian reflected on the first leg in more detail and insists Arsenal will have to be wary of the threat which Bayern pose on the counter-attack.

“I think we started really well in that first game; I said it before that we could’ve been up by two or three goals ahead and you can see their quality as well, especially on the counter.

They have so many great players upfront that can hurt you and they showed that, but it was good for us that we showed character and we got that equaliser to come here.

“We really needed it and everyone felt we were going for it, we tried to create chances and then the moment that goal came felt so good.”

The 29-year-old feels it could take a moment of brilliance to win the tie and book a semi-final berth, and explained there is ‘no better stage’ than the Allianz Arena to end Arsenal’s long wait for a last-four place in Europe’s premier cup competition.

“We want to win every game; that’s how we approach it,” he explained.

“There’s no better stage to do it and especially at such a great stadium as well.

“Sometimes we talk about the magic moments, getting a good goal and then defend well. It’s so hard to predict; I think it will be a good game and they have shown they have great quality as well. It’s up to us to neutralise them, get a goal and play from there.

“When you go through and win, it’s always nice, so that’s what we want to achieve and get that winning feeling again.

“That’s where [the semi-finals] Arsenal is supposed to be, and we want to give something back to the fans and award ourselves for the games we’ve played before.”