Unai Emery insists his Arsenal side can make no excuses when their Europa League quest gets back under way in a freezing Belarus.
The Gunners face BATE Borisov in the first leg of their round-of-32 clash – with temperatures set to drop below zero as the game kicks off at 20:55 local time.
Arsenal have experienced similar conditions in the Europa League this season, with the mercury reaching minus 10 during their 3-0 win over Vorskla Poltava in Kiev back in November.
Emery – who won three successive Europa League titles with Sevilla – feels that experience will stand his players in good stead heading into the meeting at the Borisov Arena.
“Yes, we are,” he replied when asked if Arsenal were ready for the weather conditions in Borisov.
“We played against Vorskla in Kiev when it was below zero and snowing. It’s not an excuse for us, the weather or the pitch. We play 90 minutes that are the same for them and for us.”
Arsenal, beaten semi-finalists last year, know that winning the tournament would secure a return to Champions League football, with Emery admitting last week his side are “outsiders” in the race for the Premier League top four.
But the Spaniard stopped short of saying he was intending to concentrate all his efforts on targeting Europa League success at such an early stage.
“My thoughts are that every match is a big challenge,” he added.