Arteta wants sunshine break as Arsenal move towards last 16

Mikel Arteta said Arsenal have their sights set on a sunshine break after beating Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 to move within touching distance of the Champions League last 16.

Arteta’s side swatted aside the Croatian champions at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday thanks to Declan Rice’s early opener and second half goals from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard.

The Gunners sit third in the Champions League standings and need just a point from next week’s trip to Girona to be certain of automatic qualification for the last 16 via a top-eight finish.

Even a defeat is unlikely to knock Arsenal into the knockout stage play-offs — which features the teams that finish ninth to 24th — because they have a three-point lead and a superior goal difference to the teams immediately below eighth place.

If the north Londoners finish in the top eight, Arteta has suggested he will take his squad on a warm weather training camp during the time when other teams are in play-off action.

“If we earn the right to do that, it would be great,” he said when asked about the potential for a winter getaway.

“Obviously it has been a super-busy schedule, a lot of demands and with things that have happened, even more demands, especially on the players. If we can achieve that it would be great.”

Arsenal’s fifth win from seven league phase games was never in doubt from the moment Rice fired home from Havertz’s pass just 106 seconds after kick-off.

– ‘A massive step’ –

Havertz’s 66th minute header and Odegaard’s clinical finish in stoppage-time wrapped up only Arsenal’s second win in their last six games in all competitions.

“This is a massive step forward. It puts us in a really strong position before we play Girona,” Arteta said.

“We scored three goals and dominated the game