Arsenal enter their Champions League meeting with Inter knowing victory would set a club record streak in the competition and reinforce a campaign chasing trophies on four fronts, with Mikel Arteta demanding
urgency as the squad balance domestic pressure with European ambition in a key week of the season.
Arteta stressed that mindset as Arsenal look to respond after dropping Premier League points in a 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest and before meeting long-time rivals Manchester United, yet the head coach insisted attention stays fixed on the San Siro clash, with no room for distraction despite the busy schedule.
If Arsenal win against Inter, they will record seven straight Champions League victories for the first time, having taken maximum points in six consecutive matches with an aggregate score of 17-1, while keeping five clean sheets, figures which highlight how Arsenal have combined defensive control with cutting efficiency in Europe this season.
Historical meetings, though, underline the threat from Inter, who have beaten Arsenal in two of the previous three encounters between the sides, with one defeat for the Italian club, including a 1-0 success over Arteta's team during the league phase in November 2024 at San Siro, when a penalty proved decisive on a tight evening.
Opta's supercomputer places Arsenal as heavy favourites for major honours, giving Arsenal a 90.3% chance of securing a first Premier League title since 2004 and rating their prospects of lifting the Champions League at 25%, numbers that reflect current form yet also increase expectations around every remaining fixture across competitions.
Arteta underlined how that expectation shapes preparations. "Every game in the Champions League, when you have the opportunity to achieve something, you have to grab it," he told reporters. "We're really going to have to earn it against a top, top side, we know that. " "And then we prepare every game obviously to win it, and the urgency is going to be the same. "
Arteta described the internal demands placed on Arsenal. "We keep tricking the playersthe next one is the most important one this season, and then three days later it's the same!" "That's the demands, that's the expectations that we have, that's the standard that we have set as well as a team and as a club, and we are living with that, with joy, with enthusiasm and with a lot of energy as requested. "
Reflecting on Inter, Arteta noted how the opponents have evolved since that 2024 meeting. "They have some different players in the team, a different coach as well," Arteta said. "I think the task is going to be equally difficult, but I think we had, watching it back, a really strong performance here. " "The margin that we lost the game by was a penaltyobviously, we all saw what happened there, and were very disappointed. "
Arteta outlined Arsenal's tactical clarity for the Champions League tie. "We're going to know tomorrow how they set up. " "We have a very clear idea of what we have to do to win the game, and what we need to apply to be better than them. " "We are very clear about what we have to do to play the game we want to play, and then you deserve it. " "It has to be when we have the opportunity to score the goal, and then dominate these things, which are vital. "
