Cech: Arsenal have everything in own hands

Petr Cech is optimistic about Arsenal’s chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League at the expense of Olympiacos after seeing off Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.

Arsene Wenger’s men sit third in Group F with six points from five games following Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Dinamo, trailing second-placed Olympiacos by three points.

A two-goal triumph over the Greek champions – thrashed 6-0 by Bayern Munich in midweek – will send Arsenal through and Cech has backed his side to pull it off in their final pool match.

“They were very efficient when they played here so we know if we create chances, play our game and put them under pressure, we have a chance to score our goals in the game and make the difference we need,” Cech told Arsenal’s website.

“So we can go in a confident mood because a few rounds ago we were almost out of the competition and now we have everything in our hands to progress. That is the situation, which is actually good for us.

“We did our bit, Bayern Munich did their bit and it is now a grand finale for us in the last game and we are literally entering the play-off already. So we are going into a play-off situation and we know what we need to get so hopefully we will be ready for that.

“You don’t want to miss the play-off games. We need to make sure we go there and get the result no matter how and [get] in the draw for the last 16.”