Per Mertesacker is confident Arsenal will make the most of their Champions League lifeline and qualify for the knockout phase.
Last night’s victory over Dinamo Zagreb means the Gunners will progress if they beat Olympiakos by two goals or more on December 9, or if they win in Athens by scoring at least three times.
“There will be pressure for both teams and, hopefully, we can handle that better,” said captain Mertesacker.
“We have a good chance because we believe that we can score. Last night showed we are always capable of doing that. We have dropped a lot of points but there is still a chance so we believe.”
Arsenal are aiming to qualify from the group stage for a 16th straight season and Mertesacker admits it is a “nightmare” that they got themselves into this predicament by losing to Zagreb and Olympiakos in their first two group games.
“It is a nightmare how we played those matches,” said the defender. “But we have to face the truth that we have to score more than one goal against Olympiakos. Let’s go there without fear, respect our opponents and keep patient until the end.
Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb player ratings
“They [Olympiakos] have more to lose because we are in a more difficult situation. We believed before last night that we were capable of doing special things.”
