Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has clarified that his second-half substitutions during the Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen were not made with the upcoming Carabao Cup final in mind.

The North London side secured a strong 2-0 win in the second leg at Emirates Stadium, advancing with a 3-1 aggregate victory in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. Goals from Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice sealed the result and ensured Arsenal’s place in the quarter-finals, reports alldaysport.net

With just over 20 minutes remaining, Arteta made several changes to his lineup. Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Norgaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz came on as Ben White, Martin Zubimendi, Leandro Trossard and Eze were taken off. In stoppage time, Viktor Gyokeres was also replaced by Myles Lewis‑Skelly.

Because Arsenal were already in control of the match, many assumed the substitutions were part of a rotation strategy ahead of Sunday’s final at Wembley Stadium against Premier League rivals Manchester City.

However, Arteta dismissed those suggestions and insisted the decisions were purely based on the needs of the match.

Speaking to TNT Sports, he said:
“No, it was related to the game and some players that needed to come off basically, because of the amount of minutes they are playing.

“Now we can focus on the final.”

There was a brief scare for Arsenal fans when Eze received treatment before being substituted following an impressive display against Leverkusen. The midfielder, however, quickly reassured supporters that he was fine ahead of the cup final.

“Yeah, I’m alright,” he said to TNT. “I’ll be okay.”

Arteta is also hopeful that Jurrien Timber and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard will recover in time for the trip to Wembley after both missed the second leg against Leverkusen.

Meanwhile, Mikel Merino remains a long-term absentee after undergoing surgery last month for a rare and serious foot injury./ALLDAYSPORT/