Gabriel Martinelli will be among a cluster of Arsenal players desperately battling for a starting spot against PSG in the Champions League final.
With most of the XI locked down, Martinelli is in a battle with Leandro Trossard for who gets the nod down the left-hand side.
The Brazilian has had a disappointing season in front of goal by his standards but in Europe, he has done better, scoring six times.
Of course, Martinelli knows PSG are strong favourites for the final. But speaking on the mindset of that feeling, the Brazilian appeared in confident mood.
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Gabriel Martinelli shrugs off PSG’s favourite tag in Budapest
To be fair to Arsenal, it might do them good to go into a game as second favourites. For much of this season, the pressure has been on to deliver as favourites and now, they can play with freedom.
Indeed, asked how he feels when people suggest PSG are the favourites, Martinelli seemed to brush it off.
“Ah, I think we’re already used to it. When you play for a big club competing for titles, you have to shield yourself from the outside noise. The same thing happened in the Premier League too, if we had listened to what people outside were saying, we wouldn’t have managed to win,” Martinelli replied.
“So I think we have to stay focused on our work. We trust what we have here inside the club: our players, our staff, our fans. So, like I said, we’re going to Budapest with the mentality of becoming champions.”
Trossard or Martinelli a huge call for Mikel Arteta
This is going to be playing on Mikel Arteta’s mind for the next week or so.
On one hand, you have the reliable Trossard who can get you a goal but also provides that defensive work-rate that might be needed against PSG.
On the other side though, you have Martinelli, whose rapid pace and ability to spring the counter-attack could be vital against a PSG side who press constantly for 90 minutes.
Both players have done well in Europe this season and it really is the toss of a coin right now.
If we had to pick one, we’d probably just edge with Trossard right now, given current form and the nature of the game.
But rest assured, Martinelli has a role to play in Budapest and he needs to be 100% ready to make an impact.
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