Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny believes his team is ready to win a
major trophy as they prepare for Saturday’s FA Cup semifinal against
Wigan at Wembley.
The Gunners are heading into the game off the back of a disappointing 3-0 defeat at Everton that threatened their hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League, but Szczesny is hopeful FA Cup glory beckons for Arsene Wenger’s side.
Admitting that he was "happy" to be playing Wigan after they knocked out Manchester City in the quarterfinals, Szczesny said his teammates are focused ahead of their trip to Wembley.
“Of course when I heard we were playing Wigan and not Manchester City, I was happy,” he told Arsenal Player. “Man City were the big favourites in the competition.
They have been fantastic in the competition, scoring a lot of goals. Still, Wigan have beaten Manchester City, they were the better team against them on the day.
“We know this is going to be a tough game. Wigan are the cup holders and it will be a tough game, but we are two games away from winning this competition, so we are fully focused. We’re in a very strong position to win the FA Cup this year.”
Szczesny is determined to create some positive Wembley memories this weekend, after his mistake in the final minutes of the 2011 League Cup final against Birmingham cost Arsenal in their bid to end their trophy drought -- which goes back until 2005.
“We had a bad experience recently at Wembley in the League Cup final, but [we’ve matured] a lot and we’ve got a lot more experienced players,” he added.
“I think that the likes of Jack [Wilshere] and Aaron Ramsey and myself were only 18 or 19 at the time. We’re three years older now, we’ve got three years of experience under our belt and we’re more prepared for it.
“We’re at Wembley so we know how important it is for the fans and all the players. I hope it’s going to be a very positive day for the club."
The Gunners are heading into the game off the back of a disappointing 3-0 defeat at Everton that threatened their hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League, but Szczesny is hopeful FA Cup glory beckons for Arsene Wenger’s side.
Admitting that he was "happy" to be playing Wigan after they knocked out Manchester City in the quarterfinals, Szczesny said his teammates are focused ahead of their trip to Wembley.
“Of course when I heard we were playing Wigan and not Manchester City, I was happy,” he told Arsenal Player. “Man City were the big favourites in the competition.
They have been fantastic in the competition, scoring a lot of goals. Still, Wigan have beaten Manchester City, they were the better team against them on the day.
“We know this is going to be a tough game. Wigan are the cup holders and it will be a tough game, but we are two games away from winning this competition, so we are fully focused. We’re in a very strong position to win the FA Cup this year.”
Szczesny is determined to create some positive Wembley memories this weekend, after his mistake in the final minutes of the 2011 League Cup final against Birmingham cost Arsenal in their bid to end their trophy drought -- which goes back until 2005.
“We had a bad experience recently at Wembley in the League Cup final, but [we’ve matured] a lot and we’ve got a lot more experienced players,” he added.
“I think that the likes of Jack [Wilshere] and Aaron Ramsey and myself were only 18 or 19 at the time. We’re three years older now, we’ve got three years of experience under our belt and we’re more prepared for it.
“We’re at Wembley so we know how important it is for the fans and all the players. I hope it’s going to be a very positive day for the club."
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