Odegaard: No time to relax against Zurich

Every home game, Martin Odegaard gives you his thoughts on the goings-on around the club in his captain’s notes column for the matchday programme. 

Ahead of tonight's game against FC Zurich, you can read a snippet of his latest column which includes his thoughts on our opponents, and how we need to end the group stage on a high after last week's disappointment against PSV Eindhoven:

Losing in the Netherlands means we have to win tonight at home to Zurich – that’s all there is to it. 

We have spoken all season about how important it is to finish top of the group, and all that comes with it. That’s still the aim of course, and three points will do that tonight. It makes it another big night, another important game, and there’s no time to relax.

We played FC Zurich already this season, and I know one of their midfielders, Ole Selnaes quite well. We’ve played a lot together for the Norway national team and I speak with him every now and then. I spoke to him out in Switzerland for the first game, and we know about their team from that match. 

All the games are difficult in Europe, and every side is really motivated when they show up at the Emirates. It’s a team that we know, if we play well, we should beat, and if we play how we want to, then we should get the win. 

You always have to show up, put on a good performance and not expect anything other than a top performance from our opponents. They will come here to prove their qualities, and also they have nothing to lose in this group, which can make them dangerous too. 

For us though, we need to be professional, concentrate on our performance, and get the win so we can look forward to European football again in March.

Read the rest of Odegaard’s notes, as well as a host of other fantastic content, by buying a copy of the Arsenal v FC Zurich programme either around the stadium or online, and you can also purchase a seasonal subscription to get every issue through your door.