Bukayo Saka believes his return from a spinal injury is fully assigned as he is looking to help Arsenal to take the next step in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Saka was out of action on December 21 after suffering a 5-1 injury at Crystal Palace. After undergoing surgery, he came down from the bench against Fulham on Tuesday to score 2-1
The England striker is again a substitute for Saturday 1-1 with Everton, but is expected to feature from Tuesday’s first game against Madrid on Tuesday, the best hope of the Champions League this season.
Arsenal have never won in the Champions League, although they lost to Barcelona in the 2006 final. They have reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League from 2009 to 2001 from 2009 to 2001.
The Gunners beat Bayern Munich 3-2 at Bayern Munich last season, but Saka enjoys the challenge to confront the carriers, as Arsenal aim to end the 16-year wait for the finals to return to the finals.
“I think it’s really good for me mentally,” Saka told a news conference.
“Obviously it was really difficult for me at the beginning to find out the level of my injury, which I am going to undergo surgery.
“The past five years I have played after the game, so it was the first rest I had. It was really good for me. I was able to do a lot that I don’t normally. It’s really nice to come back and feel mental fresh.
“It’s in a bad moment, but now I’m just focusing on the positives and I couldn’t ask for a return at a better time of the season.
Madrid have won the Champions League in the past two seasons and have won the 15-season number of victories in the tournament.
Forchoe was constantly smiling on Los Blancos in the competition, as they won the controversial penalty shootout at Atletico Madrid in the last 16 photos.
But Saka is not worried about their horror recording of Arsenal’s famous rivals.
“That’s Madrid, you have to respect that and accept what they have done in history, but tomorrow anything can happen, we can’t be too much about it,” Saka said.
“That will mean a lot for us (to win). This is the first time the club have been in the Champions League quarter-finals in the Champions League quarter-finals.