Mikel Arteta calls on Arsenal to grasp opportunity to reach Champions League semi-final

MIKEL ARTETA has called on his Arsenal players to create their own history ahead of the biggest game of his managerial career.

The Spaniard took his side to a Wembley FA Cup Final victory in his first season in charge four years ago, but the chance to avenge a series of defeats by Bayern Munich and reach the club’s third Champions League semi-final ever feels like a greater occasion.

That is partly because the Chelsea victory of 2020 was a behind-closed-doors Covid special. There will be 75,000 baying Bayern fans here in Munich’s Allianz Arena on Wednesday – all used to winning at this time of the season.

Arteta explained what he has asked of his players when he said: “I have asked for a performance that puts us in the Champions League semi-final.

"All the preparation has been to achieve that. We have earned it. We have earned it for ten months and everything we did last season, to start our journey in the Champions League after so many years. We have an unbelievable opportunity to make it happen.

“To win here would be unbelievable. If we make it happen and we’re in the semi final, we’ll be in a really high emotional state with something that we haven’t achieved in 15 years and that’s the opportunity.”

Arsenal have only progressed from two of their seven quarter-final ties in the European Cup/Champions League to date. They come here after recovering to record a 2-2 draw in London last week. But their record in Munich is poor; they have only won one of their six away games against Bayern at this level.

Bayern will be looking to qualify for the Champions League semi-finals for the 13th time. Since the Gunners reached the semi-final for the last time in 2008-09, the Bundesliga giants have progressed on eight separate