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Per - We will need a wonderful night

Per Mertesacker
Per Mertesacker

Per Mertesacker says Arsenal have it all to do in the Champions League and will need a “wonderful night” in Monaco if they are to progress.

The Gunners face an uphill battle to reach the quarter-finals after losing the first leg of their last-16 clash at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

Mertesacker was hugely disappointed with the result, but says the team have not given up hope of securing a famous win in the principality on March 17.

"These European nights can be very frustrating, but they can also be wonderful. We need a wonderful night"

Per Mertesacker

“We are not happy with our performance as a team, but we tried to fight back,” he said. “We still have hope of coming back even stronger from this disappointment.

“We try to create a special atmosphere with our travelling fans. We are capable of doing special things, even away from home.

“Let's try to raise everyone's level at Monaco. Let's try to get in our rhythm there. We could have scored more than three goals [in the first leg] for sure, and we can hurt them.

“We can't look back and think too much about this game. We will analyse what went wrong, but when we travel to Monaco we have to be on the front foot, be brave and get the best out of ourselves.

“We have seen a lot of miracle nights in all competitions. When I was a young kid in Germany, there were a lot of miracles, especially in Europe. These European nights can be very frustrating, but they can also be wonderful. We need a wonderful night.”