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Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has asserted that the Gunners should have faith in themselves ahead of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash against Real Madrid.
The Gunners are one of two Premier League clubs left in the Champions League now. They finished third with 19 points from eight matches in the league phase and beat Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven 9-3 on aggregate in the last-16 stage.
Commenting on Arsenal's upcoming contest, Henry said (h/t Tribal Football):
"If you come believing that you can't beat Real Madrid, that they're better than you, that they have a better team, a better squad... they've won 15 Champions League titles and we haven't won any... you'd better not go there and not play."
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Henry, who helped the Gunners lift two Premier League titles, continued:
"Are [the Gunners] going to do it? That's another story. Look at how Atletico Madrid played against them... more than well, and with several chances, but it still wasn't enough. I was in that situation with a team with a little less talent than Real Madrid and I'll be honest... when we drew with Real Madrid, everyone laughed bitterly, especially in Spain."
After facing Los Blancos at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday (April 8), Mikel Arteta's side will visit Madrid for the second leg on April 16. They are on a two-match unbeaten streak against the defending Champions League champions.
Real Madrid boss hails Arsenal superstar
At a pre-match press conference, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was asked to comment on former Los Blancos star and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard. He replied (h/t Metro):
"I saw him as a real young player. The talent he has now is the same talent he had at 17. He has had courage to go elsewhere and seek new opportunities to become one of the best players in Europe."
Asked to shed light on why Odegaard left his club, Ancelotti replied:
"There was no space for him to show his quality. He decided to go elsewhere because of the possibility to go elsewhere to play, to one of the best clubs in the Champions League."
Odegaard, who permanently joined his current team in 2021, has been in decent form this campaign. The left-footed star has recorded five goals and eight assists in 34 overall outings for Arsenal this term.
The 26-year-old attacking midfielder made just 11 total appearances for Los Merengues and failed to either score or assist a goal for them.
