I was supposed to be lapping up the port before a plateful of sardines today in Portugal but the air strike tomorrow has curtailed my trip. If ever a game presented itself as one in which we can bounce back after the horror of Saturdfay then this is it. Braga ain’t up to a great deal and surrely to heaven we still have enough about us to nick a win and confirm qualification to the knockout stages.
We travelled to Braga – via Spain because of the strike – without Gael Clichy, who has a back injury, while both AA23 and RVP are also missing.
Kieran Gibbs is set to play at left-back and Nik Bendtner is also in contention, while Cesc could start on the bench.
AW has had his say in the lead-up to the game and seems pretty pumped up after the Derby day defeat. He said: “I want this team to win so much. I am giving every drop of my blood to make sure this team wins. I want them to be successful because this team deserves it. Of course it hurts when you get so close, as we did on Saturday, but we did not manage to do it.
“But you must focus on the technical side of your game and not the result. The result is the consequence of what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve it. If you look too much at the result you become tense.
“It is a bit like the Formula One driver. When he goes into a corner and thinks he wants to cross the line at the end, he goes into the wall. If he focuses on how he wants to take the curve he has the same chance to get out of it.”
When he asked if another suicidal display could damage the team, he continued: “That is the danger, that mentally, it becomes an issue. I do not think it will. But that is the fear you can have if it is repeated. It can become something which blocks the team.
“It will be a difficult game in Braga, I do not deny that. It is important that we come back with not only one point but three points, which would give us a good chance to finish top of the group. It is an important game, yes, but vital, no.”
With all due respect I’d say it was vital, Mr Wenger…
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