LONDON: Mikel Arteta has warned Arsenal that fatigue is no excuse for their damaging stumble as he urged his side to hit back by finishing off Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League quarter-final second leg.
Chasing a second successive appearance in the semi-finals of Europe’s elite club competition, Arsenal host Sporting on Wednesday with a 1-0 lead from last week’s first-leg win in Lisbon.
But the Gunners go into the second leg in the midst of a bout of soul searching after losing three of their last four games in all competitions.
But asked if tiredness was a factor in their recent defeats, Arteta said: “I don’t want to pull on those excuses because we’ve been playing so many games, every three days, and we’re going to have to continue to do that.
“That’s the context and that’s the scenario, and we have to embrace it and especially enjoy the opportunity.”
