Every word Mikel Arteta said on Rice fitness, Tierney return and Viktor Gyokeres

Mikel Arteta has spoken to the press at the Jose Alvalade Stadium ahead of Arsenal's Champions League clash with Sporting CP.

The Gunners go into the game looking to secure their first away win of this Champions League campaign, and just a second European victory on the road in nine matches. Their job will be made even tougher by the presence of Sporting's in-form striker Viktor Gyokeres.

Unsurprisingly Arteta was asked about the Swedish forward who has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal. The Spaniard was also quizzed on the fitness of his squad ahead of the game. You can read exactly what he had to say below.

Any fitness issues?

Everybody in the squad is fully fit and available to start the game. As I said as well, we have Kieran Tierney after a long injury, it’s great news that he’s back, he’s been training with the team and he’s at the level to participate.

How important is it to get an away win, statement and momentum?

It’s certainly something we have to improve. I think we have made the right steps and, looking back with the way we played against Inter, which is a team that has been so dominant in their league, reached the final of the Champions League which they should have won. To play and dominate that game. But the reality is that you have to make it happen and we didn’t. Making those steps is what we have to do next. Be ruthless, be efficient in the opposition box and do what we have to do to take the three points away from here.

How good is Gyokeres and how do you stop him?

I would like to talk about the team, about the coaches and how phenomenal they have been. The run they are in is incredible. That tells you that it is not only the quality, the setup, the ambition, it is something about the team energy that they have. That is a great challenge that we have tomorrow, to come here and make a statement and show we are capable against this kind of opponent. Be ourselves and win the game.

Is Gyokeres exactly what a modern day CF looks like?

I understand the question but they have a lot of individual qualities. That’s why they can win games in various ways. And yes in the specific position they have great players.

Are you worried about where you are in the CL table yet?

We wanted to be higher, that’s for sure. But this is the position where we are right now. We have to face it and control what we can which is to play in a way that is going to help us to win the game and fight to win and qualify as soon possible. Tomorrow we have a great opportunity to do that.

It’s one win in eight away in Europe. Can you explain the pattern?

Not all the games have been the same. It’s true that within those games there were games that were when we had already qualified. Something that is very true is that we have to improve those results and we have to find ways to understand what has been missing. Sometimes it’s been performance sometimes it’s been other aspects. That’s the next step we have to make as a team.

Four away UCL games in a row without a goal - is this the players yourself still trying to find the right balance at this level?

I wouldn’t say that this is the most important thing but the efficiency that we have shown inside the box at this level with the chances that we are normally able to generate in the champions league level, is not at the level required to win consistently.

I always say the Champions League is about boxes, small margins and details. You have to get all of those right to win, especially away from home.

What kind of task do William Saliba and Gabriel have tomorrow against an in-form striker such as Gyokeres?

Yeah for the whole team because obviously when you look at the numbers they (Sporting CP) produce in the domestic league and the Champions League at home, where they have won every game and scored always at least a goal, is something that we have to really avoid. So we’re going to have to be really consistent and efficient to try to prevent that from happening.

Have you noticed Raya being more comfortable?

It's something natural, it takes time to adapt to a new club like ours. Even though I thought last season he had a really good season, now he is more confident, he understands the system, he's got his space in the right way and you can tell he's much more composed. He has better links with his teammates and he's been in great form.

What do you think is different from when you were last here in Lisbon two seasons ago?

It’s a good question. It’s always a good exercise to see the team a few years back. I watched both games back to have understanding of what worked and what didn’t in order to prepare. It’s difficult to recognise the team two years later. You tend to see and look at the game and other stuff in a different way but it was good. It feels like it’s been a lot longer in way. But here we are again. The good news is that we are in a different competition - a competition where we really want to be and be dominant. This is what we’re looking for.

Are both teams stronger than before?

I think so. I think every team evolved. Talking about Sporting and what they’ve done has been unbelievable. We have very much progressed from where we were two years ago. It’s going to be a good test.

Do you think the team will be the same despite the new coach?

I don’t expect the same because every coach and the coaching staff behind them have their own ideas. We have analysed what they have done, the things we can tweak and how we can be prepared. We’ll try to understand as much as possible what we can do and how we can hurt them. I’m really looking forward to that.

Will you use the City game as a base to prepare this one?

It was one of those. They have played other games in the Champions League and domestic to try to understand how they have about other opposition. Preparing for Manchester City is a really specific game. I can tell you, we have experienced that. I think you need a much broader picture to understand certain behaviours, why they do certain things. We have analysed that and it was a remarkable game.

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