• Champions League

Giroud: Arsenal are building a team of world-beaters

Olivier Giroud says Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger have built "a team to challenge the biggest sides" as the club pushes to win the Champions League for the very first time.

Since arriving at Arsenal in 2012, Giroud, has seen Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck join him in North London to leave Wenger with an impressive array of talent at his disposal.

• Olivier Giroud to score first against Monaco on Wednesday night , at 15/4 with bet365*
• For full odds visit www.bet365.com >>
• *All odds correct at time of publishing.

Arsenal take Wenger's former club Monaco in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday, and Giroud said the Gunners have what it takes to not only see off the Ligue 1 outfit, but even go toe-to-toe with Europe's most powerful sides.

"Winning the Champions League remains an objective. In recent years, our recruitment has been significant, we're building a team to challenge the biggest sides," Giroud said.

"Alexis, we call him 'Duracell'. He allies talent and determination. Ozil, he's quietly strong; he's very calm, almost introverted, very at ease technically, and when his confidence is up, he makes the difference.

"Cazorla reads the game very well. I have a special relationship with him, we arrived at the same time, we find each other very well. [Laurent] Koscielny holds things together at the back. He's surgical in his interventions, we're calmer when he's there."

Having missed out on the group stage due to injury, Giroud will be particularly determined to shine when Monaco arrive at the Emirates.

The former Montpellier man acknowledged Arsenal are tipped to progress, but insisted Monaco, who are fourth in Ligue 1 and topped their group to advance to the knockout stages, will not be disposed of easily.

He added: "It'll be a keenly contested game. We're going to have to do what is necessary against a team that will not surrender easily. If we're favourites, it's only by just a little."

Olivier Giroud scored what turned out to be the winner at Crystal Palace on Saturday © Getty Images

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