Mikel Arteta encourages Arsenal to ’embrace the chance’ of making it to the Champions League semi-finals.

With aspirations of reaching the semi-finals of Europe’s premier club competition for the second consecutive year, Arsenal will host Sporting on Wednesday, carrying a 1-0 advantage from last week’s first leg in Lisbon.

However, the Gunners are entering this crucial match amid a period of self-reflection after losing three out of their last four fixtures across all competitions.

This dip in form has cost them two opportunities for silverware, with Manchester City defeating them 2-0 in the League Cup final and lower-league Southampton eliminating them from the FA Cup quarter-finals.

To add to Arteta’s frustrations, Saturday’s surprising 2-1 home loss to Bournemouth has jeopardised Arsenal’s quest for their first Premier League title in 22 years.

Currently, Arsenal sits just six points ahead of second-placed City, who hold a game in hand and will host Arteta’s side in a crucial encounter this Sunday.

The significance of the upcoming clash at the Etihad Stadium creates a selection conundrum for Arteta ahead of the match against Sporting.

Should the Arsenal manager field his strongest team to ensure a convincing victory over the Portuguese champions?

Or will he opt to rest key players to keep them fit for the trip to City, relying on his squad depth to manage Sporting?

This match will mark Arsenal’s 54th fixture of a demanding season, and the relentless schedule may be starting to take its toll.

Injuries have plagued Arsenal throughout the season, and many of Arteta’s squad appeared fatigued in the match against Bournemouth, with Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Jurrien Timber all sidelined.

‘Embrace the opportunity’

When asked if fatigue played a role in their recent losses, Arteta stated: “I don’t want to use those excuses because we’ve been playing so many games every three days, and we will have to keep doing that.

“That’s the situation we’re faced with, and we must embrace it and, more importantly, enjoy the opportunity.

“One thing I didn’t see from the team was that level of enjoyment in certain moments, and the fight needed to truly change the course of the game when things get tough.

“We’ll face different challenges from now until June, and we need to adapt and address them all if we want to achieve our goals.”

Viktor Gyökeres was among the few Arsenal players to emerge with any credit from the defeat against Bournemouth.

The Swedish striker netted a first-half penalty, bringing his tally for the season to 18, demonstrating his resurgence after a slow start to his maiden season with the Gunners.

Nevertheless, Gyökeres was relatively quiet in the first leg against his former club Sporting.

Arteta needs to ensure that his physical presence and finishing instincts contribute significantly to Arsenal’s pursuit of their first Champions League title.

“We have a number of important fixtures ahead, and we need to embrace it and enjoy playing those games,” Gyökeres said.

“It’s a fantastic match to look forward to in a few days, so we just need to recover, put this behind us, and deliver a strong performance on Wednesday.”