Martinelli targets UEFA Champions history with Arsenal, reveals key reason behind strong start in all competitions

Mikel Arteta’s men are the only team with a 100% winning record in this season’s league phase.

And they are indebted to Martinelli for such success, given he has netted the opening goal in two of their five fixtures so far. But entering the history books is not something that particularly bothers him.

“I’ve heard about that,” the Brazilian exclusively told TNT Sports. “Of course, I’ll try to score and to help the team with, if I don’t score, a good performance; an assist or something. As always, I’ll try my best. If I score, I’ll be really happy.”

Results elsewhere mean a victory in Belgium will guarantee progression to the last 16 without the need for a play-off.

But the club’s start to the season, which includes sitting on top of the Premier League, has fans looking much further ahead than that as they target a first ever European Cup.

One of the reasons behind their success is the plethora of striking options Arteta has at his disposal.

While Martinelli has netted five times this season, further firepower is added by Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze, Mikel Merino, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard, who have scored 27 times between them.

Martinelli sparks WILD scenes after rounding Neuer and adding Arsenal third

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There is also the exciting prospect of Gabriel Jesus’ return, with the forward having not played since January after an ACL injury.

And Martinelli believes the competition for places helps keep him on his toes.

“It’s really good,” he continued. “We want to have the best players alongside us. I always say that, because in the international team, I have some really good guys there as well – Vini (Vinicius Junior), Raphinha, Rodrygo.

“Here at Arsenal now, we have so many good players as well. It’s really good for the club. It’s impossible for our players to play every single game of the season, 90 minutes, so it’s good that we have so many players.”

“We are prepared,” says Arsenal boss

That was only their second defeat of the campaign across all competitions, with Arteta admitting his squad were left devastated by the result.

Their other loss this campaign was against Liverpool in August, and that was followed by an 18-match unbeaten run that included 15 victories.

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The manager will be hoping for more of the same this time around, and confesses a lot can be drawn from how his side react.

“Especially (with) the way the game finished and you could see our players on the floor and how much it meant to us and how painful it was,” Arteta told TNT Sports.

“Use that feeling towards the next match. When you win so much, the probability of losing a match becomes closer and higher.

“Now it’s about reacting to that and making what we have to do to win the game tomorrow.”

This will be a first ever meeting for The Gunners with Club Brugge. The Belgian outfit have work to do if they are to extend their Champions League campaign, after picking up just one win and four points from their five matches so far.

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A run of two victories from their last seven fixtures across all competitions has also led to a change of manager, with Nicky Hayen replaced by Ivan Leko following Sunday’s 3-2 defeat to St. Truiden.

Arteta is not expecting an easy night for his side, though, as he added: “They’ve been very consistent, very threatening, especially here at home against very, very good sides, like Monaco and Barcelona.

“A new manager always brings first new energy and new ideas, so we are prepared for what he’s done in the past, or something similar to what they do here and focus on what we have to do.”