Gabriel Martinelli up for Arsenal fight as he makes bold Viktor Gyokeres goal claim | OneFootball

Brazilian thriving on increased competition at the Emirates after scoring against Olympiacos in the Champions League

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Gabriel Martinelli says competing with Vinicius Jr and Brazil’s other star forwards has got him ready to fight for his place at Arsenal.

Leandro Trossard is another option on Arsenal’s left flank and Martinelli was shifted to the right for Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Olympiacos in the Champions League.

“I feel good,” he said. “It’s the same in the national team for me.

“With the signings that we brought in, we’ve got a huge squad now. So let’s try to use this squad, because it’s a long season, everyone knows it and sometimes we have injuries and with a big squad, we have more opportunities to win the game.

“We play for Arsenal. We have to use every single one that is available. So, if someone gets injured, we’re going to try to use someone else. This is why we have a huge squad right now.

“I mean, I want to play. I want to start every single game. And as I said, I’m going to help the team as much as possible.

“The manager is the one that takes the decision. We have to respect him. And when I have the opportunity, I always try to give my best.”

One of Arsenal’s new attacking additions is Viktor Gyokeres, who has made a steady start to life in north London.

The Swede has scored three goals in nine appearances, however he has failed to find the net in his last five games.

Martinelli is not worried, though, and believes Gyokeres could score as many as 40 goals this season - especially if captain Martin Odegaard is feeding him.

“We are really happy with him. We trust him,” Martinelli said of Gyokeres. “We know his qualities and he’s one of the top strikers in the world right now.

“We trust him and we are trying to give him the confidence to score and to do his best on the pitch to help us.

“It’s really good to play with Martin there because he’s always trying to find you, when we make the movement.

“And for Viktor as well, his qualities, he likes to go in behind and attack the opposition’s box.

“So, I think him playing with Martin as well is going to be good for him. We are going to try to give him the ball as much as possible to make him score, I don’t know, 30 or 40 goals a season.”