Arsene Wenger has warned Arsenal not to underestimate Monaco in the last 16 of the Champions League.
The Gunners have been knocked out of Europe at this stage of the competition in the previous four seasons following difficult ties against Barcelona, AC Milan and Bayern Munich.
Despite a supposedly more favourable draw this time round, Wenger insists Arsenal will still have to be at their best.
"The team has come up a level and we’ll see that with the results"
Arsene Wenger
“The last 16 in recent years has been super tough,” the manager said. “This is a 50:50 game. We know that Monaco are very tight defensively - they didn’t concede in the group stage against good teams.
“Of course it will be tricky but a possible tie. It’s really a 50:50 because Monaco are in a similar position to us. They came back into a good position in the league and their confidence level will be high.
“[The emotional ties to the draw] have not been hard. What was important for me was to win [against Crystal Palace] because we fought like mad to come back in a strong position in the league, and not to win would have been disastrous.
“The spirit is there and we want to keep that as a very strong basis. The team has come up a level and we’ll see that with the results.”
Ars
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