Mikel Arteta has urged Arsenal fans to bring their 'shirts, shorts and boots' to the Emirates on Tuesday and kick every ball to carry his players to an historic Champions League title.
Arsenal will contest their first semi-final on Europe’s grandest stage in 16 years when they host Paris Saint-Germain.
The north London club have never lifted the European Cup, and they have reached the final just once. But Arteta said his stars must seize the opportunity against a side who they have already beaten this season.
The Arsenal supporters answered Arteta’s pre-match call to create a raucous atmosphere for the first leg of their quarter-final against Real Madrid – a game they won 3-0 to send shockwaves around Europe.
And speaking on the eve of the biggest managerial test of his career so far, Arteta said: "You can sense the energy and the enthusiasm. It is probably one of the biggest games that the Emirates has seen since we built it (in 2006).
"We are making history. It’s a beautiful story right now, but we want much more. And I told them (the supporters), and I’m not exaggerating here, when I said: ‘Guys, bring your boots, bring your shorts, bring your T-shirts, and let’s play every ball together. We want to do something special’. That place has to be something that we haven’t seen before."
On their last semi-final appearance in 2009, Arsenal, then managed by Arsene Wenger, suffered a 1-0 first-leg defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford before Cristiano Ronaldo ran riot at the Emirates in the next match, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s side completing a 4-1 aggregate win.
However, Arteta’s current crop of stars will be able to draw confidence from a comfortable 2-0 victory over PSG in the group stage in October as they bid for a spot in the showpiece against either Barcelona or Inter Milan on 31 May.
"You feel the weight of history because we have a lot of people that have worked in the club for many, many years, and they’ve never been in this position before," continued Arteta.
"We’ve never done it, and we need to earn the right to be in that final. But we are here to make people happy and to create history. We are very close and now we have to take the opportunity and make it happen."
Following their stunning win against 15-time European Cup winners Real Madrid, Arsenal could be considered as the favourites, not just to see off PSG, but to win the competition altogether.
But Arteta said: "When you look at the history, no we are not the favourites because we’ve never done it. There is so much to do."
Mikel Merino handed Arteta a major injury boost when he participated in training on Tuesday. The Spain international, who had been a doubt for the clash, is set to revert to midfield with Thomas Partey suspended. Leandro Trossard may instead lead Arsenal’s attack with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli on either flank.
The latter was asked whether the match against PSG will be the biggest of his life.
"Yes, it is a dream to be here," he said. "Since I started to play football when I was five or six, I had this dream to be playing in the Champions League and to be in a semi-final, it is amazing.
"It is the opportunity of our lives. We are going to enjoy the moment, but we deserve to be here and our mentality is to win."
PSG boss Luis Enrique (above) has warned that he is ready to land his fourth Premier League scalp of this season.
His side saw off Manchester City in the group stages before beating Liverpool on penalties in the last 16, and then knocking out Aston Villa in the quarter-finals.
When asked if fending off Liverpool and Villa provides the French side with a trump card over English opposition, Enrique replied: "Maybe that is a question for Mr Arteta, but in terms of our confidence, it is very positive for us.
"We beat Liverpool and they won the Premier League this year. But that doesn’t mean anything because every single match is different.
"Everybody speaks about the Premier League as being the best league in the world. I don’t know if I agree or not. But we are full confidence and looking forward to playing in the semi-final."
Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka were both on target for Arsenal when they beat Enrique’s side at the Emirates back in October.
PSG were without star man Ousmane Dembele for the group-stage fixture after Enrique dropped him for failing to "comply or respect the expectations of the team".
However, Dembele, who scored in PSG’s win at Anfield – one of 29 strikes for the Ligue 1 side this season – is back in favour and due to start for the French champions in the first leg on Tuesday.
PSG, like Arsenal, are bidding to win the Champions League for the first time.
And Enrique added: "The last game took place on 1 October so that was seven or eight months ago, and there are huge differences between now and then.
"I have reviewed the game, and seen how far our game has come and we are better now. We are a more complete team and our next objective is to rewrite history and there is only one way to do that.
"Is Arsenal the best team we have come up against? One of the best teams, yes, without a shadow of a doubt. They are second in the Premier League and that has been the case for the past three seasons.
"We have seen some remarkable work here at Arsenal with a coach that has now been here for six years. I don’t know if it is the best team, but it is certainly one of the best teams (that PSG have faced).
"But I would like to remind you that Arsenal has not won the Champions League before, and only one of us will get the ticket to the final over the two legs. I hope that will be PSG."
Watch the Champions League semi-final, Barcelona v Inter Milan, on Wednesday from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app.
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