Arteta relishing ´special opportunity´

Midfielder Mikel Arteta said big games like Arsenal’s last-16 Champions League tie against AC Milan were the reason he joined the Gunners.

Arsene Wenger’s men were drawn against the Italian champions during Friday’s draw and 29-year-old Arteta said he was relishing the chance to play a team of their calibre.

“I smiled when the draw was made because I think it’s a really good game to play,” Arteta told Arsenal Player.

“It makes it more exciting to play a team like Milan. Any team at this stage of the Champions League is going to be tough, even if people think you are favourites.”

“I like playing against teams like this and we’ve got a good chance, so let’s play. All the boys feel the same. If we have to play them, so be it, and let’s try to win.”

“This is exactly why I came to Arsenal. In your career you want to have moments like this. You don’t face them every day so we have to take this special opportunity.”

Arsenal are currently fifth in the Premier League and lie 12 points behind leaders Manchester City following their 1-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

The Spanish midfielder is well aware that the odds are stacked against them in the chase for the title, but for now he is targeting maximum points during the festive season, with a run of four games in just 12 days.

“I think we need to be realistic,” Arteta said.

“It will be really tough to make up 12 points on Man City from here until the end of the season because they haven’t dropped many points until now. But you never know in football. We can only go game by game and try to put pressure on them.”

“The main thing is to focus on the football. We know that if we get through this period and get all the points then we will have a really good chance to be fighting for something at the end of the season. We know how important that is for the club.”