Giroud says he dreamed of Emirates return as Lille visit Arsenal
Olivier Giroud, 40, returns to the Emirates Stadium with Lille. Coach Davide Ancelotti says his side need an almost perfect game to beat Arsenal in the Champions League.
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Olivier Giroud will face his former club in the Champions League when Lille play at Arsenal on Tuesday night. "Secretly, I dreamed of coming back to play at the Emirates Stadium, and I am very lucky," the 40-year-old striker said, according to L'Équipe. Giroud made 253 appearances for Arsenal from 2012 to 2018 and scored 105 goals. He said winning was what mattered most and that Lille would need to be "at its best level."
"We know we have to play an almost perfect game to beat Arsenal, and that is what we will try to do," Lille coach Davide Ancelotti said. He added that his team must play "without losing our identity." Lille are without Tiago Santos, Ethan Mbappé and Hamza Igamane, while Romain Perraud has been cleared, according to AFP.
Lille lost their opening league-phase game 3-2 to Real Betis and have lost their last eight European matches in England, AFP reported. The French club are second in Ligue 1 behind Monaco and beat Le Havre 1-0 on Saturday. Arsenal have won eight of their nine games this season.