Arteta wants Arsenal to lead Man City by 8 points

After drawing 2-2 in the first leg, Arsenal continued to draw Sporting 1-1 through 120 minutes of the second leg at Emirates in the middle of the week and resolved the match on the 11m mark. Here, striker Gabriel Martinelli was the only one to fail, causing the "Gunners" to lose 3-5.

Arteta wants his students to quickly get up and call the match against Crystal Palace in the 28th round of the Premier League today the most important of the season, when this is Arsenal's last match before the international break. Moreover, because Man City have to kick the FA Cup, the "Gunners" can temporarily widen the gap at the top of the Premier League table to eight points if they beat Crystal Palace.

"I try to give a lot of clarity in the dressing room," Arteta said before the game. "It's just a message: accept that it's too late, we have to learn from the defeat, but there's no point in devoting an energy or thought beyond preparing for the Crystal Palace game. I want you guys. players recover mentally and physically at their best."

Arsenal received a loss when Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba respectively left the field with injuries in the first 21 minutes of the second leg of the 1/8 round against Sporting. Arteta said Saliba's ability to play will be evaluated before the ball rolls, while the Japanese defender's injury is more serious.

The Spanish coach also carefully considered the starting line-up when many players experienced 120 tense minutes in the middle of the week. He emphasized that those who are not in the best shape will not be able to play in the Premier League. "You have to be 90 or 100% fit to play at the highest level in this tournament. We'll see who's ready and who's in what condition to come up with the best squad with the goal of winning. ", added Arteta.

Two days before the match, the Crystal Palace leadership sacked Patrick Vieira and did not have time to announce a new coach. Accordingly, former U21 captain and coach Paddy McCarthy will act as interim, with the support of Darren Powell and goalkeeping coach Dean Kiely.

Crystal Palace did not win the last 12 matches in 2023 and lost the last four matches. The last time Crystal Palace won three points in the English Premier League was a 2-0 victory at Bournemouth on December 31.

However, Arteta still highly appreciates Crystal Palace and thinks the club has improved in the narrow defeats against Man City and Brighton last week. "To beat Crystal Palace, we have to play better than we did in the middle of the week in many areas, and show desire and determination," added the 40-year-old coach.

After a break to make way for the national team, Arsenal will meet Leeds at the Emirates on April 1 and then march to Liverpool's Anfield on April 9.