Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has urged fans to “bring your boots” and “play every ball together” ahead of their Champions League semi-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain.
This is just the third time Arsenal have reached this stage of the competition, doing so in 2006 and 2009, and gives them the opportunity to lift the trophy for the first time.
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Arteta arrived for his pre-match press conference in buoyant mood, and was bullish in his call to supporters who would be in attendance for the game.
“I told them (the fans), and I’m not exaggerating, guys, bring your boots, shorts and shirts and let’s play every ball together,” Arteta said.
“If we want to do something special, that place (the Emirates) has to be something special that we haven’t seen. I really hope everyone that comes tomorrow to the Emirates, and everybody that is watching us, brings that energy.”
Arsenal are ranked by Opta as favourites for the semi-finals (56 per cent) and the final (32 per cent), and will take confidence from their 5-1 win over Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.
Arteta, who spent two seasons at PSG as a player, spoke about the importance of having more than belief, but a mindset ahead of those matches.
Asked to explain how that mindset has evolved, he said: “It’s just visualising it. To be convinced. You go on that pitch thinking we’re going to beat them, we’re going to be better than them tomorrow and do everything we understand is the right thing to win the game.
“Go there with a conviction. Feel the conviction around, that is key. To create that energy, we are going to be much closer to winning the game. That’s what I feel in the team. That we are really looking forward to playing the game tomorrow and we’re going to give our very best to win the game.
“You feel it because there is so much work done beforehand and the players are really resonating with what we’ve done. They feel we can face these guys and be better than them. They had it before Madrid, in the previous round and through the league phase. That’s how I feel today and we can’t wait to play tomorrow.”
Arteta and his side may also be helped by the potential returns of Mikel Merino and Ben White.
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“Let’s see if they are able to start tomorrow,” is all the Arsenal manager said on the pair, but both players trained ahead of the semi-final.
Merino being available would be a massive boost. The Spaniard scored one and assisted two goals against Real Madrid, but has been given the licence to roam forward from a central midfield role in the absence of the suspended Thomas Partey.
As for White, his availability would not guarantee a start, but would give Arteta a positive selection headache at right-back. He would help add more threat in attack, but Jurrien Timber would be more than capable as a solid defensive option in his place.
Riccardo Calafiori has still not returned from a knee injury, while Jorginho (rib injury) and Thomas Partey (suspension) will also be unavailable.
(Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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