'As a player you want difficult games and big moments'
Former Arsenal striker Theo Walcott says he would "rather play the difficult games" the Gunners have coming up than easier fixtures.
Mikel Arteta's side suffered their first league defeat of 2024 against Aston Villa on Sunday and face a tough test in Germany in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast, Walcott said: "Arsenal are at a stage now where we are talking about them at the level of Manchester City which is credit to Mikel for what he has done.
"I know they lost a lot of points towards the end of last season but the teams they played were teams they would have expected to win against and they didn't. But this time Villa are going for the Champions League so they are a top-four team at this moment.
"The games Arsenal have got coming up are very difficult but I would rather play the difficult games. As a player you want those difficult games and big moments. You want to be the player everyone is talking about. You want to create something, you want to create history - and they can."
Despite dropping to second in the Premier League, the Gunners are still fighting on two fronts as they head into Wednesday night's match in Europe.
"Arsenal have a job [against Bayern Munich] that is going to be really, really difficult," added Walcott.
"No one expected Bayern to come to the Emirates and play that well but they are going to be missing a few players. I think Arsenal are going to struggle at certain points but it is how they come out of those situations for the best.
"Like a lot of fans, it is going to be a tricky game for me to watch."
Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
