- Arsenal goes to Paris while targeting a first final of the Champions League in 19 years
- Ousmane Dembele scored the only goal of the first step to give the lead to PSG
- Listen now: everything is launched! Arsenal needs to sign players for here and now to win the Premier League … So should they sign Harry Kane?
Declan Rice warned Paris Saint-Germain that Arsenal could not fear them and urged his teammates to create a “magical moment” to obtain a first final of the Champions League in almost 20 years.
The Gunners enter this semi-final in the second stage at the back of last week’s 1-0 defeat against PSG with a final blow to save their season.
In the first stage, Mikel Merino was prohibited for offside, but the Parisians hit the transverse bar late in a match they dominated.
He leaves the club in northern London with a big task tomorrow evening, but they believe in their reach after a series of impressive performance in Europe.
Arsenal hammered the PSV Eindhoven 7-1 in Philips Stadion in the last 16 stages, before dethroning the European Champions of Real Madrid 15 times in the Bernabeu in the quarterfinals.
Rice said: “I think our second group of the Champions League match, we beat them (PSG) 2-0. It was the same team other than (Ousmane) Dembele and (Khvicha) Kvaratskhelia.
Rice warned PSG that Arsenal does not fear them before their clash in the Champions League
Ousmane Dembele scored in the fourth minute of the first stage to give the French part the advance
Declan Rice scored two free kicks against Madrid to book Place d’Arsenal in the semi-finals
“Everyone has started and we beat them, so there is no fear. As I said, I think the goal in three minutes probably shocked us a little, shocked the atmosphere a little.
“But once we found a foot in the game, we started to create chances. We fully thought that we could beat them.
“Obviously, it was not supposed to be, but we saw enough and we know enough as a team that tomorrow evening, we can do something really, really good and we certainly believe that we belong to this level.
“We must have big balls and we have to go to the biggest scene and show that we are ready to play at this level.”
Rice, who struck two impressive free kicks for Down Madrid, is looking for a similar moment tomorrow night.
He added: “The manager calls them” magical moments “. He always talks about having someone who gives a magical moment.
“I think that in this match against Madrid, I was obviously able to produce two free kicks that were incredible. But tomorrow evening, a semi-final is installed so that someone else may have this magical moment.
“I hope it’s still me, but you will need a moment of magic to win a match, and as a team, we will need that. So tomorrow evening, I hope we can deliver something special.
In the first step, Merino had a prohibited goal for offside in a match that the Parisians dominated
Mikel Arteta spoke of avenge the final grief of the 2006 Champions League against Barcelona
Dembele is available after recovering from an injury to the hamstrings in a major boost for PSG
Mikel Arteta spoke of avenging the final grief of the 2006 Champions League that the Gunners suffered against Barcelona in Paris – the only time the club made the final of this competition.
“Yes, that will give us another opportunity and it brings you to places that are sometimes linked,” said Arteta, questioned about the final defeat of 2006.
“It’s a great story, so let’s make ours tomorrow.
He added: “Winning trophies is to be in the right time in the right place. Liverpool has won the title with fewer points than we have done in the past two seasons, but at the point (tally) of the last two seasons, we have two leading leagues, so you have to be at the right time in the right place.
“I hope we are here at the right time in Paris tomorrow, to gain the right to be in this final.”
Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori trained and are available.
Meanwhile, Dembele is available after recovering from an injury to the hamstrings in a major boost for PSG.
