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Takehiro Tomiyasu backs Arsenal against Sevilla despite domestic setbacks
Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu believes the UEFA Champions League clash against Sevilla is a golden opportunity to recover from last weekend’s Premier League setback against Newcastle United.
The Japanese international, who is relishing the experience of playing in the tournament, recognises the significance of the fixture, which could propel Arsenal into the knockout stages.
Takehiro Tomiyasu backs Arsenal against Sevilla despite domestic setbacks
Speaking with anticipation ahead of Wednesday’s game, Tomiyasu expressed his delight at achieving his lifelong dream of competing in the Champions League, and he is eager to maximise his playing time.
The focus is firmly on the game against Sevilla, and Tomiyasu is determined to help his team rebound from their weekend defeat.
“We are really focused on tomorrow’s game. We need to bounce back from Saturday’s game. It’s a massive opportunity for us to qualify for the next stage. It’s a massive game for us and we’re playing to get three points against them.”
Tomiyasu acknowledged the challenges of juggling both Premier League and Champions League commitments, emphasising the importance of maintaining fitness and availability, especially given the injuries that have already plagued the squad.
“It’s not easy to play in the Champions League and Premier League, but we need to be fit and available as much as we can because already we’ve lost some players with injuries. For me, I need to be fit and available as much as I can.”
The Japanese international has had his fair share of injuries since joining the club, and his 2022/23 was brought to a premature end as a result of a knee injury sustained during that fateful Europa League encounter against Sporting CP.
Tomiyasu has so far enjoyed a promising start to 2023/24, and he seems to be climbing ahead of Oleksandr Zinchenko in the full-back pecking order for the first time since the Ukrainian’s arrival. However, we could see both Tomiyasu and Zinchenko in the starting XI on Wednesday evening.