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Arsenal intends to beat Girona in the Champions League with a full-strength squad, says Mikel Arteta.
If you thought that Mikel Arteta might rotate his Arsenal side against Girona in the Champions League due to one eye being on Manchester City at the weekend, you're sadly mistaken.
While the Gunners are in a great position to qualify for the next round, they still need to put their best foot forward to eliminate any doubt over whether or not they will book their spot in the next phase.
With City up next in the league at the weekend, there was a thought that Arteta might rotate his squad against a Girona side that has won just one of its seven league phase games, which in truth, sounds like a solid plan.
But as we know, professional clubs rarely take a soft approach to games, particularly in the Champions League and the Gunners need to go to Spain and go for the throat and end the contest as quickly as they can. The last thing Arsenal wants is to have Girona getting confident late in the second half, because that is where problems can begin and with the Gunners in a great position, they will not want to let that go to waste by losing to a team they have no right losing to.
While Girona has only won one of its seven games and lost the other six, it has only conceded 11 goals, which is better than 14 other teams in the competition, so the hosts will make things difficult for Arteta's side, and that is something they don't want.
This one can't be taken for granted and the Gunners must go ahead and take care of business and after winning back-to-back games after the Aston Villa draw, Arsenal is beginning to pick up steam after not conceding in either of its last two games.
Coming into a monster City clash at the weekend, taking care of Girona is the perfect warm-up to what looms as a colossal clash against Pep Guardiola's side at the Emirates.
Arsenal is in a great position to advance to the next phase and enjoy some much-needed rest between fixtures, and winning takes out any and all of the guess work regarding what might transpired over the couple of days.
We will be going to Spain to win, not to rest the squad.