Mikel Arteta has told his Arsenal players to go behind enemy lines and deliver a statement victory in the opening leg of their Champions League semi-final clash against Atletico Madrid.
Arsenal are just two matches away from a first Champions League final in 20 years in their quest to make history, having never previously won Europe’s grandest tournament.
The Gunners fell at the semi-final stage last season following an underwhelming 1-0 defeat to Paris St Germain in their opening leg at the Emirates Stadium. A 2-1 defeat in Paris followed as they crashed out.
But, speaking on the eve of his side’s pivotal match in the Spanish capital, which is forecast to be affected by a heavy storm, Arteta 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, how much we want it and make it happen. The opportunity is in front of us and we have to attack it.
“We have prepared the game to win it. There’s no question about that. We know the difficulty of the match, but I think we have shown in Europe, in any ground, what we are capable of.
“We’ve been very consistent and tomorrow we have to play with that confidence, with that desire and that will. We have to come here to win the game.”
Arsenal’s visit to Madrid comes off the back of a morale-boosting victory over Newcastle which allowed the Gunners to reclaim top spot in the Premier League from rivals Manchester City with just four matches remaining.
In a boost to Arteta, Eberechi Eze has travelled to Spain, despite being forced off with an injury in the second half against Newcastle.
Kai Havertz, who was also unable to complete last Saturday’s match with a knee problem, has not travelled, while Jurrien Timber remains sidelined.
Arsenal have been the nearly men in recent seasons, finishing runners-up in the league for the past three years, and, despite another impressive campaign, they are in danger of ending the season empty-handed again.
And captain Martin Odegaard admitted: “That is always going to be there until we win (a trophy) and we have to live with that and we have to draw on those past experiences and use it in a good way.
“We are in a great position to make history and that is what we want to do. We want to take that last step and do something big and that is the biggest goal, the biggest dream and that’s what we’re working towards every single day.
“I don’t understand how you can’t enjoy it. We are ready for it.”
Arsenal have faced accusations of bottling their bid to win silverware. Arteta’s sole trophy remains the FA Cup in 2020.
Odegaard continued: “For some people maybe it’s good to stay away from the phone. But in today’s society it’s impossible to not see things.
“It’s just about being strong mentally and focusing on what we can do and what we can control. For us it doesn’t matter what the people say, we can’t control that. We can work every single day as hard as we can and that’s what we’re doing. So we’ll just keep doing that.”
