( thaisiambet ) Bukayo Saka says he is ready to play the biggest game of his career against Real Madrid on Tuesday. thaisiambet

Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka has labelled Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid the biggest match of his career and is hoping for a special atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium, Diario Sport reported on Monday.

‘I think with the Arsenal shirt it will be like that,’ Saka said, before the 23-year-old opened up about his recent injury and the mental challenges, saying: ‘It was difficult for me, it came at a bad time but now I’m focused on the positives and I couldn’t have asked to be back at a better time of the season.

‘I think it’s been great for me mentally. Obviously at first it was really hard for me to know how serious my injury was. I had to have surgery.’

‘It was hard for me to hear the news at first, but now that the surgery is complete and going well, I am determined to come back stronger and I have plenty of time to spare.’

Ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Real Madrid, Saka has stressed the value of playing at home with the support of the fans, saying: ‘I have no doubt that the fans will be ready for the game tomorrow and help create the most wonderful night the Emirates has ever seen.’

Saka acknowledges the challenge of facing a club with the legends of Real Madrid but remains optimistic: ‘It will mean a lot for us. It’s the first time the club has played in two consecutive Champions League quarter-finals in years, so tomorrow night we have to take the next step and try to achieve our goal. ‘

‘This is Madrid, we have to respect and accept what they have done throughout their history, but anything can happen tomorrow, we can’t focus too much on that.’

But Saka refused to compare himself to Real Madrid stars Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe, saying: ‘I don’t want to sit here and say they are at a higher level than me or anything like that because I don’t think that way. I’ll let everyone have their own opinion.’

Speaking about Vinicius, he said: ‘I know him as a player and I know his journey. There were some difficult moments for him and he showed how great he is. ‘

thaisiambet He ended by referring to Real Madrid’s reputation for spectacular comebacks: ‘I think we all know what they’ve done and we’ve seen their games and their comebacks. Hopefully it won’t happen to us.’ ( thaisiambet )