MX23RW : Tuesday, July 2 18:09:57| >> :120:3666:3666:
[monks data]
Attendance: 46,000
Valencia logo
Europa League | Semi-Finals
May 9, 2019 at 8pm UK
 
Arsenal logo

2-4

Gameiro (11', 58')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Aubameyang (17', 69', 88'), Lacazette (50')

Petr Cech: 'Arsenal do not have decisive advantage'

Petr Cech: 'Arsenal do not have decisive advantage'
© Reuters
The Gunners travel to the Mestalla defending a 3-1 lead from the first leg.

Petr Cech is adamant Arsenal will keep their feet on the ground in Thursday's Europa League semi-final second-leg clash with Valencia.

And the veteran goalkeeper insists he is ready for the game despite not playing regularly this season.

The Gunners travel to the Mestalla defending a 3-1 lead from the first leg in north London last week.

Cech, 36, played in that game having been reduced to playing in the Europa League campaign in his final season before his retirement.

The former Chelsea goalkeeper, who could yet face his old side in the Europa League final in Baku on May 29, believes Arsenal will not capitulate having earned a lead heading into the return fixture.

"We keep our feet on the ground and we know that tomorrow is another difficult 90 minutes," he said.

"We gave ourselves a two-goal cushion, but you know, two goals with the away goals now is an advantage but it's not a decisive advantage.

"We can see that in the past and we can see it in the future, ties will get overturned with that deficit because football is about that. We respect the opponent and it will be very difficult."

Cech has had to deal with playing second fiddle to Bernd Leno in Unai Emery's Premier League side and has been used solely in cup competitions since September.

Petr Cech
Petr Cech is ready to step into the breach (John Walton/PA)

But, with Arsenal's hopes of a return to the Champions League now all but resting on winning the Europa League this season, Cech insists he is still raring to go.

"I think the key is in training," he replied when asked about the difficulty in finding form when you are not playing on a regular basis.

"You keep training at your best and together with my experience, you prepare during the week and even if you play regularly, the key still lies in training.

"If you prepare well then you'll play well and with all the experience I have, I don't feel a big difference. I feel prepared for every game."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Mark Mann-Bryans, Press Association Sport, Valencia');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'faea2327-9b77-4bca-a917-7234505f2417');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Petr Cech confident Arsenal remain grounded ahead of Valencia return leg'});

ID:358666: cacheID:358666:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7161:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Arsenal manager Unai Emery pictured on May 5, 2019
Read Next:
Arsenal injury, suspension list vs. Valencia
>
Read more about Petr Cech Football
rhs 2.0
Euro 2024 fixtures header
Tuesday, July 2
 
8pm
Friday, July 5
 
5pm
Quarter-Finals
Spain
vs.
Germany
 
8pm
Quarter-Finals
Portugal
vs.
France
Saturday, July 6
 
5pm
Tuesday, July 9
Wednesday, July 10
Sunday, July 14
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Romania Romania31114
Q Belgium Belgium31114
Q Slovakia Slovakia31114
4 Ukraine Ukraine31114

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!