'Anxiety is through the roof!' - Declan Rice opens up on mental toll of playing for Arsenal after nerve-shredding win over Leicester

Arsenal underwent a very anxious clash against Leicester City last weekend as they dropped a two-goal first-half lead before winning the game in injury time. The Gunners are now third in the Premier League table, one point behind league leaders Liverpool. Arsenal's squad is being strained to the breaking point due to a demanding schedule of games and multiple injuries to important players, and Rice has opened up on the toll that this has taken on the group.

Speaking to football.london, Rice said: "Mentally it is tough. The anxiety is through the roof!

"You know the pressure of playing for Arsenal, you have to win every game. And if you want to win Premier Leagues and cups, compete at the top, you need to be at your best and you need to win - otherwise the pressure mounts.

"So when that second goal went in for them, one thought is - we can’t lose this game, we have to keep going. In the end, it is kind of like a sigh of relief, because we won the game, we deserved to win the game.

"That was probably the most comfortable we have been in the first half all season, in terms of passing the ball, dominating the ball. There are lots of positives to take, but still so much to improve on. As the season goes on, I am sure you are going to keep seeing the best of us."

Arsenal are now set to face off against Paris Saint-Germain in the league stage of the new look Champions League as the Gunners look towards winning their first European game of the season. Rice also opened up about facing big European teams this early on in the Champions League due to the new format.

He said: "It is a different format now, but we are coming up against probably tougher teams than you normally would in a group-stage format. We have got more tougher teams now. We have got an exciting night here, which is our second game.

"Usually you would find these games in the quarter-finals or semi-finals, so for it to be our second game is massive. It is a big game because we need to get points on the board in this new format.

"We will be ready and we are excited because we have not played PSG before. They are a top team, so we will be ready for that one."

Arteta's side will now take on Luis Enrique's Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, October 1 as they will look to get their first win and sound a warning to other teams over their readiness to go for the coveted Champions League trophy this season.