Gabriel Martinelli has said Arsenal players are well accustomed to the pressure that comes with representing a club of such stature.
The Gunners progressed to the Champions League semi-finals after a goalless draw with Sporting CP on Wednesday, which secured a 1-0 aggregate victory following their first-leg win in Lisbon.
Kai Havertz’s late strike in the first leg remains Arsenal’s only win in their last five matches across all competitions.
However, a shock home loss to Bournemouth in the Premier League has tightened the title race, with Arsenal now just six points ahead of Manchester City, who also have a game in hand ahead of Sunday’s crucial clash.
City have already beaten Arsenal 2-0 in the EFL Cup final and recently saw them exit the FA Cup after a defeat to Southampton.
Despite criticism from some quarters suggesting Arsenal lack the experience to see out big moments, Martinelli dismissed those concerns.
“When you play for Arsenal you have to know how to deal with the pressure,” he told TNT Sports.
“We really like the pressure as well. We play for Arsenal, we are used to it. It’s a semi-final and fighting for the Premier League.”
Arsenal will face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals, with a place in the final against either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich at stake.
“Two times in a row in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Everyone is happy. I think we deserve that,” Martinelli said.
“We’ve been playing well and we deserve that. Now, just enjoy tonight and we have a big one on Sunday as well.
“When we play in the Champions League it is always tough. There is not one single team that is not strong.
“We did well and we didn’t concede. We didn’t score as well but we take the draw and we are through.
“We played [Atletico] in the group stage but this will be a completely different game. We have to earn the right, we have to do things right in the game as well. Let’s keep it up and try to win both games.”
According to Opta’s supercomputer, Arsenal are currently favourites to win the Premier League title with an 86.1% probability, while they also lead the race for the Champions League at 36.8%.
