Arsenal midfielder Eberechi Eze blocking out the noise in quest to make history as Gunners bid to hold nerve in Premier League and Champions League

The Gunners host Sporting CP in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final at the Emirates on Wednesday – live on TNT Sports and HBO Max - leading 1-0 on aggregate following a hard-fought victory in Lisbon.

Many of Mikel Arteta's squad have experienced falling short at the final hurdle, with second-place finishes in the Premier League in each of the last three seasons.

Eze has brought fresh eyes, along with the likes of midfielder Martin Zubimendi and Viktor Gyokeres, who have both taken Arsenal closer to their ultimate goal.

Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth allowed rivals Manchester City to close the gap to six points in the title, piling the pressure on the Gunners.

Arsenal have lost three of their last four games, as many defeats as they managed in their previous 49 matches, with all eyes on Sunday's meeting between the two title protagonists at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola's side have a game in hand, so the coming weeks will be as much a test of character as it will be about stamina.

Eze, who developed a tendency to end seasons strongly at Crystal Palace, knows the pressure to prevent the walls from caving in once more will require an unwavering tunnel vision.  

When asked how difficult it is to block out the noise surrounding Arsenal's recent blip, Eze told TNT Sports ahead of the game against Sporting: "For me? Not too difficult. If I'm honest, I try not to pay too much attention to what a lot of people are saying outside. I feel like it's part of football - there's a lot of noise.

"But at the end of the day, I'm the one who's on the pitch and has to operate. It's very easy to sit behind the screen and the camera and talk and share opinions. Honestly, I don't spend too much time listening to what people have to say about me.

"I enjoy what I do, I enjoy the job that I have. I'm in love with the opportunity that we have as a club to make history."

Eze and his team-mates still have the chance to achieve something that is unprecedented, which is to become the first group of Arsenal players to win the UEFA Champions League.

To do so while also being crowned champions of England would represent the club's most successful season ever.

Eze only sees it as part of the territory in playing for a club with lofty ambitions.

"You can feel the desire to win," Eze responded when the recent edginess among supporters inside the ground was raised.

"That's what you feel when you're a player. You can see how bad the fans want it, you can hear how bad the fans want it. It's always coming from that place of wanting to win, of wanting to be on the pitch.

"We always understand the feeling and the emotion inside the ground, but it's also our responsibility to play for the fans, to play with the fans, to understand what they're feeling whilst we're playing, because we're all so connected in the stadium.

"It's special, it's something that you want to be considerate about, and you want to work together with. You need the fans as much as the players in the group, so it's a special place."

Protecting a slender advantage from their first leg against Sporting, Arsenal must now rediscover their defensive stubbornness as well as their swagger in the attacking third to ensure their recent challenges don't turn into something more significant.

The Gunners remain in a strong position to end their 22-year wait for a Premier League title, but in this season-defining week, Eze acknowledges that coping with human emotions will play a factor.  

"I think it's natural to have nerves, because you're trying to go somewhere that you've never been before," Eze continued. "We haven't been for a long time, so it's very normal.

"But what you do with those nerves is more important. Everyone has nerves, everyone has fears, and whatever, but what you do with them, how you operate with them, how you face them, is more important.

"This is something that I've dreamed of for a long time as a young boy, wanting to play in this competition. I've got the opportunity, along with my team-mates and this club, to do something really special.

"I don't want to look back on my life or my career and have regret. I took as much risk as possible to win it. That's my mentality, that's my feeling.

"I try not to allow it to overwhelm me. It's just something to enjoy and an opportunity to relish."

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