Arsenal’s journey to France for their Champions League match against Lens has been far from smooth. But despite travel hiccups and injuries, the team and management remain focused and optimistic about their upcoming game.
Arsenal’s Champions League preparations have faced a hurdle, but defender William Saliba assured fans that the team’s travel disruptions have not majorly upset their focus for the upcoming match against Lens.
The team’s flight from London to Lens was delayed by almost five hours due to bad weather in the Luton area.
As a result, Arsenal had to cancel their pre-match news conference.
Saliba, however, remained confident about the team’s prospects.
“Yeah of course [we are confident we can perform]. We have to arrive first but tomorrow is another day and we will give our best against Lens,” he said. “It is really good feeling. My second game in the Champions League with Arsenal. I can’t wait to play in France, so it is a good feeling.”
The squad travelling to Lens included Thomas Partey, who has been sidelined since 26 August due to a groin problem. Gabriel Martinelli, however, did not make the trip owing to a hamstring issue.
“He’s progressed really well in the last two weeks and he managed to train in the last two or three days with the team and that’s great news for us obviously,” said manager Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal’s UEFA Champions League campaign off by defeating PSV Eindhoven 4-0 in their first group match, while Lens managed a 1-1 draw with Sevilla. Lens have recently seen an upturn in their Ligue 1 performance, winning their last two matches after a rocky start to the season.
Arteta praised the French team, saying, “I was really impressed with what they did last year. It’s incredible to finish in that position, and the way they did it, the form they had at home. This season they have been really unlucky with some results. I don’t know how they don’t have more points, so we expect a huge battle.”
Franck Haise, Lens’ manager, said, “This competition – we are here and we deserve to be here. Yes, we are outsiders compared with Arsenal so we are not going to compare ourselves. The technical level, the collective skill and what has been created by coach Arteta makes me think that Arsenal are superior in the group. Certainly it is a big challenge.
“The experience, the quality, the past and the present of Arsenal – [but] we met teams like that in Ligue 1, like Paris Saint-Germain, and we have got results.”
Arsenal find themselves in a favourable position against Lens, but Arteta and his players are not underestimating their French opponents. For Lens, key players like David Costa and Massadio Haidara are sidelined due to injuries, but they have shown resilience in recent matches.
The match will be officiated by Marco Guida, who has shown 14 yellow cards in the five games he has refereed this season. Arsenal’s first-ever Champions League game was also against Lens, 25 years and 17 days ago, ending in a 1-1 draw.
As both teams prepare to face each other, Arsenal look to maintain their unbeaten run in all competitions, while Lens aim to prove their mettle in what is expected to be a highly contested match.