Mikel Arteta has called on his Arsenal side to end nearly three decades of continental disappointment by winning this season's Europa League. The Gunners begin their campaign in Switzerland against FC Zürich on Thursday, with Arteta eager to break the club's long wait for European silverware.
Arsenal's only two European trophies are the 1969-70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and the 1993-94 Cup Winners' Cup. Despite leading the Premier League table, Arteta insists the Europa League is not a distraction. 'That's a long time,' he said of the drought. 'We would like to be the first one to break that negative record.'
Zürich, the Swiss champions, have struggled this season, losing in Champions League qualifying and failing to win any of their first seven domestic matches. They will play in St Gallen due to a Diamond League event at their home stadium. Arteta has brought most of his available first-teamers, but Emile Smith Rowe is absent with a groin injury, while Fábio Vieira and Matt Turner are set for their first starts.
Arteta also responded to comments from former goalkeeper Bernd Leno, who claimed 'politics' forced him out of the club. 'I'm really surprised,' Arteta said. 'I don't know if he's talking about the politics when he was starting every match or the politics when he wasn't playing.'
