Arteta: We must prove ourselves stronger than last year in the Champions League.

The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League will enter its seventh round of competition, with Premier League giants Arsenal traveling to the San Siro to challenge Serie A leaders Inter Milan. Mikel Arteta stated that his team is striving to achieve their Champions League goals with positivity and passion, and must prove themselves stronger than last season.

In a key match of the sixth round, Arsenal secured a 3-0 away victory against Club Brugge thanks to a brace from Maduk and a goal from Martinelli. With this sixth consecutive win, Arsenal currently sits atop the league table with 18 points, three points ahead of second-placed Bayern Munich, just one step away from qualifying for the Champions League group stage.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said at a press conference, "In the Champions League, when there's an opportunity to achieve something, you have to seize it. Tomorrow we'll be playing against top teams, and we have to really fight. Finishing in the top eight is very important, and we all know that. If we win tomorrow, we'll achieve our goal."

“We’ve been convincing the players, constantly telling them that the next game is the most important game of the season, and we’re still saying the same thing three days later. That’s the requirement and the expectation, and that’s the standard we set as a team and a club. We’re embracing all of this with positivity, passion, and plenty of energy.”

Inter Milan, led by Chivu, lost 0-1 to Liverpool in the sixth round of matches and are currently sixth in the Champions League standings with 12 points. It's worth noting that the Nerazzurri are currently top of the Serie A standings and their morale is very high.

Looking back at their head-to-head record, Arsenal's most recent Champions League match against Inter Milan ended in a 0-1 defeat after conceding a penalty to Hakan Çalhanoğlu.

Arteta stated, "Inter Milan will be very aggressive in the first stage. After losing possession, they will immediately become more aggressive and try to win the ball back. They have talent, ability, and a strong mentality. We know very well what we need to do to play the game we want, and then we need to rely on our performance to achieve the results we want. The key is to seize scoring opportunities and master the crucial details."

“They have some different players in their squad, and the manager is different too. I think the game will still be just as difficult, but looking back at the previous games, we were actually very strong. We lost by just one penalty, and we were very disappointed at the time. Tomorrow we will know how they will set up their formation, but we have a clear idea of how to win the game and what aspects we need to improve.”

In addition, Arteta said, "Performance and results will affect the team emotionally and build confidence. We know very well that tomorrow's game is about going out there and winning, something we couldn't do last season, and this time, we must prove that we are stronger than last year."