Mikel Arteta has called on his Arsenal players to produce a statement victory in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid, as the Gunners aim to reach their first final in 20 years. Speaking on the eve of the match in the Spanish capital, Arteta emphasised the importance of seizing the opportunity to make history.
Arsenal fell at the semi-final stage last season after a 1-0 home defeat to Paris St Germain, followed by a 2-1 loss in Paris. Arteta, whose only trophy as manager remains the 2020 FA Cup, said: 'This is the stage that we want to be and we have earned it through incredible work, passion and quality in the last nine months. Now is the moment to make a statement and show how good we are.'
The Gunners travel to Madrid on the back of a morale-boosting Premier League victory over Newcastle, which lifted them back to the top of the table. Eberechi Eze has travelled despite an injury scare, but Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber are absent. Captain Martin Odegaard acknowledged the pressure to end Arsenal's trophy drought, saying: 'That is always going to be there until we win, and we have to live with that.'
Arteta insisted his side are prepared to attack the game: 'We have prepared the game to win it. There’s no question about that. We know the difficulty, but we have shown in Europe what we are capable of.' The match is forecast to be affected by a heavy storm in Madrid.
