Mikel Arteta admitted that Arsenal’s season comes down to progression in the Europa League, labelling Thursday’s last-32 second leg with Benfica as a final.
The Gunners lie 11 points adrift of the top four after Sunday’s one-goal defeat by Manchester City, who extended their ominous winning run to 18 matches in all competitions.
Arteta bemoaned a lack of cutting edge in the final third and insisted they must progress from their home tie – staged in Athens - after the 1-1 draw last week.
‘We have a final on Thursday,’ he said.