Leandro Trossard feels he and his teammates are ready to stand up and be counted ahead of our Champions League game at Bayern Munich.
With a spot in the semi-finals up for grabs, Leandro feels that while our squad is relishing the prospect of playing in an iconic stadium against one of European football’s giants, they’re also looking forward to putting everything they’ve learnt in the competition so far this campaign to good use.
And after the disappointment of losing to Aston Villa on Sunday, there is also a desire within the group to put things right again, and the Belgian feels a Champions League quarter-final could be just the tonic to silence any doubters.
On the occasion, he said: "It's very special. That’s what you live for as a football player, to come to these stadiums.
“Everyone is ready, we can use this game as a reaction. It's a big opportunity for us and it's on the biggest stage so everyone wants to show what we're capable of, and there's no better way to do it than on Wednesday.
“Every game is tough, we have experienced that in the group stage as well as Porto and the last game but I think we’ve shown character as well, especially in the last game where we came back. It’s a top side we’re playing against and they can hurt you in many different ways so we need to be at the top of our game.”
Leandro’s first taste of the Champions League has been a sweet one, as he has netted four times in eight appearances, including the crucial equaliser at Arsenal Stadium last week to ensure tonight’s game starts with both sides level.
That took his tally to six goals netted off the bench this campaign, more than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues, and regardless of whether he starts at the Fussball Arena Munchen or not, he is ready to make an impression to help us reach the last four - whether that’s winning the tie on aggregate or progressing on penalties, just as we did in the last-16 against Porto.
"I think I've [contributed to the team] both from the start and as an impact [sub],” he said. “It's nice that you can bring that to the team - even when you're on the bench, you can come in and help the team to get goals. That's nice for me but I think I can do either. I'm always ready to help the team as a sub or as a starter.
“In every game we play in training we always do penalties so I think that has helped us throughout the season already. If the manager wants me to take one, I’ve shown it in the Community Shield and last season I took one in the Europa League, so I will always be ready.”
Press play on the video above to see everything from Leandro's pre-match press conference
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