Unai Emery urges Arsenal to embrace the challenge of regaining Champions League status

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has called on his team to embrace the pressure of re-establishing their Champions League status.

The Gunners face Napoli, who are managed by former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, in a crunch Europa League quarter-final first leg at the Emirates on Thursday.

Winning the competition will gain Arsenal entry into next season’s Champions League after two consecutive campaigns out of Europe’s elite.

Emery’s side can also qualify through the Premier League, where they currently sit in fifth place – but could overtake Chelsea and Tottenham into third with victory against Watford on Monday night.

The manager’s remit at the start of the season was always to secure Arsenal’s return to European football’s top club competition.

And now his side are within touching distance of doing so, he has urged his stars to complete the challenge.

Emery is pushing the Gunners on to re-establish themselves as a Champions League side

‘We are always demanding of ourselves, for me playing under pressure is normal,’ said Emery.

‘We are being consistent a lot at the moment. This match is a big-level match, and the level we want to play. It’s a very big test for us in this competition.

‘We want to play the best teams and Napoli now is one of the best teams, with the best players and also a very experienced coach.’

Meanwhile, Emery has hinted Mesut Ozil could miss out on the starting XI following his show of petulance at Goodison Park on Sunday.

After being substituted, the German threw his coat in the direction of Emery and Everton manager Marco Silva as the two coaches clashed on the touchline.

And when asked whether he’d specifically spoken to Ozil about his indiscipline, he said: ‘This is happening all the season (getting asked about Ozil). 

‘When I decided he’s going to play, some journalists asked me “why?” and when I sometimes decide he’s not playing they ask me “why is he not playing?”.