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Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli has sent his fans a message of optimism after the announcement of the eight groups for this season's UEFA Champions League.
The Gunners finished second in the Premier League last term to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since the 2016-17 season. Before their absence from the competition for six years, they had played in it for 17 consecutive years.
Mikel Arteta has led them back to Europe's premier club competition, and Martinelli posted a message on Instagram after the group-stage draw on Thursday (August 31). The forward shared an image of himself in his side's neon green away kit and captioned it:
"The Champions League music at Emirates. … I'm ready🤌"
The Gunners have been drawn in Group B of this season's Champions League. They're joined by La Liga side Sevilla, Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven and Ligue 1 outfit RC Lens, with the first matchday being September 19 and 20.
Arsenal will hope that Martinelli hits his stride by then following a slow start to the 2023-24 season. The 22-year-old is yet to score and has laid out just one assist in three Premier League games. He hasn't created a big chance yet and has won only 33% of his duels.
Last season, Martinelli scored 15 times and assisted five goals in 36 league games.
How have Arsenal fared against their Champions League group-stage opponents?
Arsenal have played against Sevilla, PSV Eindhoven and Lens previously in the UEFA Champions League.
The Gunners took on the Andalusians in the group stage of the 2007-08 season. They won their fixture at the Emirates 3-0 but suffered a 3-1 defeat away from home.
They have faced PSV on six occasions in the Champions League, four of which were group-stage fixtures. The two teams were in Group A in the 2002-03 season, with the Premier League giants winning 4-0 on Dutch soil and drawing goalless at home. They were grouped together again in the 2004-05 season. Arsenal won 1-0 in England, while PSV held on for a 1-1 draw at the Philips Stadion.
Their most recent Champions League clashes came in the Round of 16 stage of the 2006-07 edition. The Gunners lost 1-0 away from home and could only draw the second leg 1-1, giving PSV a 2-1 aggregate win.
The two teams were also grouped together in last season's UEFA Europa League. Arsenal won 2-0 at the Emirates but lost 1-0 at the Philips Stadion.
Meanwhile, the London giants have faced Lens twice in the Champions League, with both games coming in the group stages of the 1998-99 edition. They drew 1-1 in France but lost 1-0 at home.
The next season, the two teams met in the UEFA Cup (now Europa League) semifinals. Arsenal won 1-0 at home and 2-1 away to seal a 3-1 aggregate win.
