Mikel Merino insists Arsenal are good enough to win Champions League after PSV hammering | OneFootball

Arsenal will face Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid in quarter-finals barring a complete second-leg collapse

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Mikel Merino says Arsenal have set their sights on winning the Champions League after their record-breaking win over PSV Eindhoven.

Merino, Ethan Nwaneri, Jurrien Timber, Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori were all on the scoresheet, while a double from Martin Odegaard completed the 7-1 rout.

Arsenal’s attack has struggled recently due to the fact Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz are all injured.

But Merino believes Tuesday’s win over PSV demonstrates what Arsenal are capable of and why they are dreaming of winning the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.

“I guess that whenever you start a competition like this, if you don’t think that you can win it, it’s better not to come and play,” he said.

“I think it has to be the goal of every single team in this tournament - and it is ours, for sure.

“We are here to win, to win every single game, and if we do what we know we can do, in the end I think we will be close to winning it.

“But we don’t have to focus too much about it. We have to be proud of today, but at the same time think about the next game. It is coming real soon and we need to show the same mentality that we did today.

Mikel Merino has backed Arsenal to go all the way in the Champions League this season

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

“Today is a historical night for everyone. To score that many goals, to have six different goalscorers, the way we handled the game, pressing the opponent to the end, shows the hunger this team has.

“I am really, really proud of the team. I am really happy to be part of this squad and this night.”

Barring the most unexpected comeback from PSV at Emirates Stadium next week, Arsenal will face a trip to Madrid in the quarter-finals against either Atletico or Real.

The two sides are among the favourites for the Champions League, but the Gunners will be buoyed by Tuesday night.

Nwaneri was, once again, one of the stars of the show and the 17-year-old scored his eighth goal of the season.

By scoring against PSV, he became the third youngest player in Champions League history to find the net in a knockout game. Only former Barcelona and Stoke forward Bojan Krkic and England star Jude Bellingham have done so at a younger age.

“He is an unbelievable player,” said Merino. “I have been saying it for a long time.

“Every time I come here, you guys ask me about him. But I won’t get tired talking about him, because he deserves it.

“It is not only about his age and about how good he is on the pitch, but it’s also about his will, the intensity he puts in every single training day, the way he faces every game with the maturity that he has.

“Also, he has the will to learn. He is not 17 years old, playing in the Premier League and Champions League, thinking he has already learnt everything. He is always willing to listen to the other guys, listen to the boss, and that’s credit to him.”