Arsenal warned the freeze is no excuse in Ostersund as temparatures plummet to -4C

James Olley15 February 2018

Arsenal have been warned they face a stern test of their mental strength in sub-zero conditions against Ostersund tonight.

The Gunners will contest the first leg of their Europa League last-32 tie here in Sweden with temperatures set to plummet to at least -4C on a pitch manager Arsene Wenger admitted they had little experience of playing on.

Arsenal are set to name a strong line-up, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan in line to make his European debut for the club while Mesut Ozil will start for the first time in the competition this season.

And Ostersund chairman Daniel Kindberg believes the Gunners can have no complaints about the difficult environment they face this evening.

“Arsenal are not used to it but their biological DNA is the same as our players,” Kindberg told Standard Sport.

“The difference is that we are used to it. It is the mental side of it, how well you are prepared because of course when the Arsenal players come and see two metres of snow, the temperature a few degrees below zero, it becomes a mental thing.

“Their skin is no different to our skin. Their resistance to cold is exactly the same but it is up in the head where it will be a challenge.”

Arsenal have won just five games away from home all season. Ostersund are unbeaten here in six Europa League matches but Wenger opted to follow the club’s usual pre-match routine and not train at the venue for a European away game despite admitting they were under-prepared for the challenge that awaits.

“It would be really disturbing [to] the organisation and the way we want to prepare for a game [to change],” said Wenger. “I think we will adapt. We have played sometimes indoors. We have an artificial pitch, even if it is completely different.

“I have heard this is 4G, we have 3G so it is different and outside it is different as well but no matter we have not to make too big a problem with it. We have to adapt quickly because we never practice on this kind of pitch but our technical level should help us to adapt quickly.”

In Pictures | Tottenham vs Arsenal north London derby | 10/02/2018

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Kindberg defended the surface in response. “It is an Astra Turf pitch which is one of the world’s best surfaces that have ever been made,” he said.

“I don’t know if they have played on Astra but in Europe, the youth players have all been on it and we have to play on it because of the conditions.

“In England’s World Cup qualification, their game against Lithuania was on Astra. It is approved but I can understand some teams in Europe haven’t had the opportunity — or even the want — to prepare themselves on Astra. It is not a big deal at all.

“It is a perfect surface like it is at Emirates Stadium.”

Meanwhile, Juventus are monitoring Jack Wilshere’s contract situation at Arsenal.

Standard Sport first reported the Italian club’s interest in Wilshere in August 2014 and they continue to be admirers of the 26-year-old, who has entered the final four months of his current deal.

Talks are continuing over a new contract with both the Gunners and Wilshere keen to reach an agreement. However, the midfielder has so far only been offered a heavily performance-incentivised deal worth less than his current £90,000-a-week wage.

AC Milan were also keen on Wilshere when he opted to join Bournemouth on loan last season.

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