Mikel Arteta says Arsenal must use Bournemouth loss as fuel against PSG

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta said his club must use the loss against Bournemouth as fuel in the second-leg semifinal of the UEFA Champions League. The Gunners suffered a 2-1 loss against Bournemouth while playing at home in the Premier League.

Declan Rice, who was playing his 100th match for Arsenal, scored in the first half. The home team was playing with a full-strength team but conceded two sloppy goals from Dean Huijsen and Evanilson in eight second-half minutes. 

Arsenal trail PSG 1-0 after the first leg at The Emirates.

“A positive result would really help us to build what we wanted towards Wednesday,” he told reporters. “So what we have created now is a lot of rage, anger, frustration and a bad feeling in the tummy.

“So [we must] make sure that we use that for Wednesday to have a massive performance in Paris, win the game and be in the final.”

Meanwhile, Jurrien Timber was taken off in the first leg against PSG by Arteta and he was also not part of the team’s squad on Saturday against Bournemouth.

Asked if he was confident Timber could play a part on Wednesday, Arteta said: “Confident? At the moment, no, because he wasn’t able to play here and we play in four days.”

Arsenal need six more points to confirm their UEFA Champions League spot for the next season with three games to spare.

“Mathematically we are not qualified [for next season’s Champions League],” he said. “We haven’t earned the right to finish second yet, so we still have a lot to do.”

The second-leg semifinal of the UCL between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain will be played on Wednesday in Paris.