Mikel Arteta is ready for the defining stretch of Arsenal’s season.

The Gunners are battling for silverware on two fronts: a tight Premier League title race and a Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich.

Juggling these high-stakes competitions requires intense focus and meticulous preparation, qualities Arteta emphasises in his reflections on the challenge ahead.

With a crucial game against Aston Villa between the two legs of Arsenal‘s Champions League quarter-final clash with Bayern Munich, Mikel Arteta is embracing the challenge of competing for both domestic and European honours.

Arsenal, coming off a 2-2 draw with the German giants on Tuesday, turns their attention to the Premier League, where they face a fifth-placed Aston Villa team with Champions League aspirations of their own. The North London club is looking to secure its 11th win in their last 12 league matches to stay at the top of the table.

The focus will then shift back to the European stage with the pivotal return leg in Munich. Arteta acknowledges the significance of the coming weeks in Arsenal‘s season, emphasising the necessity of a singular focus during this intense period. “Very, for sure, because we can be in all competitions, going into the semi-finals of the Champions League and be top of the Premier League, or not. Every game is going to define what our future looks like,” Arteta said.

“It is the only thing possible to look at one day and one game. It is the only thing that is possible because it’s the only thing that maintains your focus and determines the tasks that you have to do on the day, which is the only thing that you can control,” he added during his pre-Aston Villa press conference.

The Arsenal manager also spoke about the relentless nature of their schedule, “It’s the job that we live. 15 minutes [after] we finished against Luton, I was watching Brighton in my office in the stadium. It’s like this because you don’t have time. You have to prepare and you’re onto the next one.”

With Manchester City and Liverpool also in action this weekend before Arsenal‘s game, the results could dictate what the Gunners need to do to either reclaim or extend their lead at the top. However, Arteta remains focused only on his team’s performance. “We will know the results but we’ll still have our duty to win our game which is the only thing that we can control. That’s happened a few times already and it’s going to happen again in the next few weeks, so we’ll just focus on what we can do,” he said.

Arteta wrapped up with a reflection on the intensity of the season’s climax, “It’s the most beautiful part of the season coming up right now and a very busy schedule. We’re going to have a really tough [game] against a really good side, and are we going to have to be really good to beat them.”