Mikel Arteta has said that Arsenal needs to be ready to “give their life” to reach the Champions League final.
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Arsenal needs to “give their life”
Arsenal faces Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their semifinal on Wednesday at the Parc des Princes.
The North London club aims to overturn a 1-0 deficit and reach only the second Champions League final in their history.
In an exclusive interview to ESPN, Arteta spoke about his excitement leading up to the Arsenal-PSG clash.
“Excitement, goosebumps, wanting the day to arrive, [the feeling] of being very prepared, very convinced and knowing that the opportunity is to play in a Champions [League] final,” he said.
“And when you get to that point, you have to give your life for it.”
Optimistic despite the depleted lineup
Midfielder Thomas Partey returns from suspension to boost Arsenal for their trip to Paris, after missing the first leg.
However, several first-team stars remain sidelined with long-term injuries.
The injury crisis was so severe in the first leg that Mikel Arteta had to name four academy players on the bench — collectively boasting just one Premier League appearance this season.
Arteta said: “Look, when I was going through the tunnel, I see [Takehiro] Tomiyasu out, [Riccardo] Calafiori out, Gabriel Magalhaes out. Kai Havertz out. Gabriel Jesus out. Thomas Partey out. Jorginho out. Starters!”
“And I see the team compete and I get goosebumps. Because we have a lot of merit and yet the game was by very, very, very small margins that weren’t on our side that day. That’s why I’m very optimistic.”
