November 25th 2024.
David Raya, Arsenal's goalkeeper, is gearing up for a tough match against Sporting's Victor Gyokeres on Tuesday night. In an interview, Raya revealed that the Gunners are well aware of Gyokeres' strengths and are prepared to face him in the Champions League clash.
Gyokeres, who joined Sporting from Coventry City last year, has been in a stunning form. He scored an impressive 43 goals in his first season and has already netted 24 times in just 19 appearances this season. In their previous Champions League game, he scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 win against Manchester City. He also carried his impressive form to the international level, scoring for Sweden in a 2-1 victory against Slovakia and scoring four goals in a 6-0 thrashing of Azerbaijan.
Raya acknowledged that Gyokeres is currently one of the most dangerous forwards in world football, but assured that Arsenal has a plan to keep him quiet and end his goal-scoring streak. "We know his strengths, how he runs behind the defense and is great in one-on-one situations. He is a top player in form," Raya said at a press conference on Monday. "Our goal is to keep him quiet and not give him any chances. We need to step up defensively and hopefully, we can do a great job and keep a clean sheet."
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was also asked about Gyokeres, but he preferred to focus on his team and their impressive run of form. "I would like to talk about the team, the coaches, and how phenomenal they have been," he said. "Their current form is incredible. It's not just about their quality, but also their setup, ambition, and team energy. It's a great challenge for us to come here and make a statement, show that we are capable against this kind of opponent, and win the game by being ourselves."
When pressed about Gyokeres again, Arteta acknowledged his individual qualities but emphasized that Sporting has many other great players as well. "They have a lot of individual qualities, which is why they can win games in different ways. And yes, they have great players in specific positions," he said.
Sporting is now under the leadership of Joao Pereira, who replaced Ruben Amorim after he left for Manchester United. Pereira's first game in charge was a 6-0 win against Amarante in the Taca de Portugal. He believes that their impressive win against Manchester City has taken some pressure off their shoulders going into the match against Arsenal. "It's a bit of a relief for us because we got the win, three more points, and now we have a bit of a margin going into this game with 10 points," he said at a press conference. "We will focus on playing our game and do the math at the end."
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