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Tuesday, 6 March 2012

Arsenal to Give Milan Emirates Welcome


Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says his team will give it "a real go" as they try to overturn a 4-0 deficit in their Champions League tie with AC Milan.

Wenger is encouraged by his side's turn in results, coming from a goal down to beat Liverpool at Anfield a week after fighting back to beat Spurs 5-2.

"We want to have a real go," he said.

"The best way is to ignore the first game and do what we did against Tottenham. We were 2-0 down and just kept going because we wanted to win."

Following the Gunners' first leg defeat at the San Siro, Arsenal's worst defeat in European competition, Wenger admitted that his side were all but out.

But, ahead of the second leg at the Emirates Stadium, he still insists that they are capable of scoring four goals against the Italian champions.

"We have to gamble a little bit and we have to go forward," he said. "We know that.

"The target is to find a good balance between attacking and defending because we have a double target - not to concede as well.

"I know my players well. I know they've been hurt by the first result and I know they will have their pride and they'll come out tomorrow to give a different performance.

"If they can score four we can do it as well. Why not?"

Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri is expecting an Arsenal backlash.

"In football, anything can happen," he said. "I think we need to step on the pitch fired up for 90 minutes without thinking what we did in the first leg.

"We must be conscious that we are going to face a team with great qualities and a team which will try to change the course of the tie right from the beginning.

"I also know the English teams will never surrender."

Gunners defender Kieran Gibbs points out that they are also playing for pride after their emphatic defeat in Italy. He said: "You don't really like to accept to get beaten 4-0 in the Champions League.

"We've shown a fantastic mentality to come back in the last couple of games. We have created a momentum now. We'd like to continue that."

Only three clubs have recovered from such a first-leg deficit in the history of European competition, but not for 17 years.

No team has overturned a four-goal margin in the Champions League era, although Milan beat Deportivo La Coruna 4-0 after losing the first leg 4-1 in Spain.

FOUR-GOAL COMEBACKS IN EUROPE
1961: Leixos 5-0 Chaux de Fonds (Leixos won 7-6 on aggregate)
1984: Partizan Belgrade 6-2 QPR (6-6 on aggregate. Belgrade won on away goals rule)
1985: Real Madrid 5-1 Borussia Moenchengladbach (5-5 on aggregate. Madrid won on away goals rule)