Olivier Giroud has been previewing his Chelsea return at Stamford Bridge in his player's press conference on Tuesday night and the name of opposition striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came up in the conversation due to their Arsenal connections.
Both players had successful spells on the whole in North London with the Gunners. Combined, both players netted an impressive 197 times from 416 games in all competitions over their 10 years spent donning the red and white jersey.
Fast forward to 2022, and both strikers have moved on from the Emirates Stadium with Mikel Arteta and the Gunners moving on with their more youthful options of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah.
This has all culminated in Aubameyang and Giroud facing off against each other during AC Milan's trip to Chelsea this Wednesday. The other occasion whereby both players played against one another was that night in Baku where the current Serie A talisman helped Maurizio Sarri won his first-ever trophy as a manager in the Europa League final.
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Other than the fact that both players have been former Arsenal figures who provided a reliable goal outlay under the likes of Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery and Arteta, Giroud believes that is and was the only similarity between the pair's game styles.
"I only care that my team wins," the 36-year-old started off in his pre-match press conference which took place at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening. "He’s a very good striker, I know him very well.
"Of course we both played for Arsenal but that’s the only similarity between us, because we are completely different players.
"But if we win tomorrow, it’s not going to be a question of one player making the difference. We’ll win with our team spirit and the entire team behind us."
As already mentioned, Giroud has nearly won the lot on the club and world stage and he's picked a mix between experiences for Milan and France instead of Arsenal as the best moments in his illustrious playing career to date.
He added: "Yes of course the World Cup with France was a very special feeling, incredible feeling, and the celebration last season in Milan for the title.
"I’m a competitor, and my team is filled with competitors, so we want to do everything we can to win, especially in the Champions League. I always want to win, especially these tournaments.
"They are tournaments that are very prestigious. These are the trophies that I always wanted to win and I want to win even more with Milan and we want to do well in the Champions League."
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