Champions League: Arteta charges players to ‘make a statement’

Mikel Arteta has called on his Arsenal players to grasp the opportunity and make history as the club returns to the Champions League semi-finals for the second consecutive season.

Twelve months after falling to Paris Saint-Germain at the same stage, Arsenal travel to face Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium aiming to reach the final for only the second time in the club’s history.

Arteta acknowledged the remarkable progress the club has made in a relatively short period, especially after spending seven years outside the competition.

“It’s a massive privilege to be here again, two years in a row at this stage of the Champions League,” Arteta said in his pre-match press conference.

“We have an opportunity, and we’re going to grab it with both hands. You’re going to see a team that wants to be dominant, that wants to win it, and they want to start deciding the tie tomorrow.

“This is the status that we want, and we have earned it through incredible work, passion and quality over the last nine months. Now is the moment to make a statement — to show how good we are and how much we want it.

“I don’t take it for granted because a very short time ago, this club had seven years without Champions League football. What we have achieved in such a short space of time is remarkable. We know the difficulty, we know how much we worked for this, so we have to enjoy it and embrace the opportunity.”

Both Arsenal and Atletico Madrid are one win away from reaching the final and having the chance to lift the European Cup for the first time in their respective histories. Arteta praised Atletico’s vast experience in the competition but expressed confidence in his side’s own European pedigree.

“They are a team with so much experience in this competition and they fully deserve to be here,” he added.

“We know it will be a difficult match, but we have shown in Europe, on any ground, what we are capable of. We have been very consistent, and tomorrow we have to play with confidence, desire and the will to win the game.

“We have prepared to win this match. We have to be ourselves and do what we do best. Then, let’s see what the game brings and the level we can show.”

Arsenal will be looking to secure a fifth successive victory on Spanish soil when they take on Diego Simeone’s side in the first leg of the semi-final.