Tuesday 17 March 2015 19:36, UK
Arsenal need to believe they can beat Monaco if they are to move through to the next round of the Champions League, according to manager Arsene Wenger.
To progress Arsenal will have to rewrite the history books by becoming the first team to qualify by scoring more than one goal in the away leg, following the disappointing 3-1 loss in the first leg.
Wenger accepted that his side had to improve their finishing after conceding a crushing three goals at Emirates Stadium but the task will not be easy given Monaco’s defensive form at home: they have not conceded there in the group stages and, including league matches, have a winning run of 16 games.
Arsenal, though, have never lost in France, and Wenger sees no reason why his side cannot take their strong domestic form to the international stage.
"Monaco is in a very strong position, but we have experience, the desire and belief we can do it," said Wenger.
"We want to give everything to have the greatest performance on the pitch. If we did not believe we could do it, we would not be here.
"The statistics are against us. The result in the first leg is against us. We are conscious about that.
"But no matter how big the percentage (chance) is, we have to give absolutely everything to make the stats lie, that is our desire and belief that we can do it."
Wenger confirmed centre-back Gabriel Paulista had travelled to Monaco after recovering from a hamstring injury but it is the form of striker Olivier Giroud, who has scored three times in his last four appearances, that could be the crucial factor.
"Giroud actually owes the revenge to him. He owes a great performance for himself," Wenger said.
"He missed a few opportunities in the first leg, but what striker doesn't miss an opportunity?
"He has the ability and the right mental level."
The match has significant meaning for Wenger too: he was manager at Monaco for seven years, guiding them to the French league title in 1988 and also the French Cup, before moving to Japan and then Highbury in 1996.
"For me, it is very special moment. I was a young coach here at Monaco, and stayed here for seven years," he said.
"However, the experience I have gained can help me to make the right decision, so I am able to separate the emotion of coming back and the importance of the game.
"I am here for work and my job is for my club to win."
Defender Per Mertesacker insists the squad have the confidence needed to pull off a shock result.
"We know that in the first leg we were not really up for it mentally. From the start you could feel that and at times we could feel that there was a bit of a pressure and we couldn't cope with that," Mertesacker said.
"But we have moved on and improved a lot, so that is why we are very confident, even away from home, we can beat any team in the world."
