The tie takes on extra significance for Mikel Arteta’s men after losing pace with Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title.
The outcome of the encounter will ultimately dictate how the 2024/25 season is defined, and thus, the Gunners have to be fully prepared for every eventuality.
Bukayo Saka is expected to return to action before the clash with the Spanish giants, and the Englishman may help to reignite a flailing Martin Odegaard.
Mikel Merino shows what he can bring to Arsenal while on Spain duty
While Arsenal’s Champions League hopes will rest on the shoulders of Saka, another star has added another string to his bow this week that Arteta can take as a positive.
Merino scored for Spain on Thursday night against the Netherlands, and he made another major contribution on Sunday in the second leg against the Dutch.
After the tie ended 5-5 on aggregate, Luis de la Fuente’s side went to penalties in the Nations League showdown.
Merino, who had been introduced in place of Fabian Ruiz in the final five minutes of normal time, stepped up first for the Euro 2024 winners and confidently dispatched his spot-kick.
Spain had the likes of Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres and Pedri on the pitch, yet the Arsenal man was still the first to be called upon to take a penalty.
Certainly a surprise to learn that the midfielder is deemed one of the first choice takers in such a talented squad, Arteta will be delighted that he has another player he can turn to to take a pressured penalty if it comes to it in the Champions League.
While Saka and Odegaard will likely remain the go-to takers, Merino has now emerged as a viable option.
Mikel Merino’s statistics v Netherlands
Not rewarded for his impact off the bench in the first leg in Rotterdam with a start, De La Fuente only brought Merino on in the 84th minute.
By the looks of things, the former Real Sociedad man struggled to impact the game in extra time.
Spanish newspaper Marca awarded Merino with a single star out of three (via Soccer Blog), while he managed no shots, just one key pass and completed no dribbles in his 36 minutes on the pitch.
| Merino’s Statistics vs Netherlands | |
| Minutes Played | 36 |
| Shots | 0 |
| Key Passes | 1 |
| Expected Assists | 0.20 |
| Accurate Passes | 19/20 (95%) |
| Touches | 25 |
| Duels Won | 1/5 |
However, he did complete 95% of his passes, which Arteta will view positively, with the Spaniard guilty of being loose in possession when he plays in midfield for Arsenal.
Ultimately, Arteta will take little from this game aside from Merinos’s new-found penalty-taking ability.