Mikel Arteta has urged Arsenal to do “something special” to beat Paris Saint-Germain next week and reach the Champions League final.
The Gunners lost Tuesday’s semifinal, first leg at Emirates Stadium as Ousmane Dembélé‘s fourth-minute strike was enough to hand the visitors a priceless advantage.
Arsenal have never won Europe’s premier club competition and their only previous final appearance came in 2006.
Arteta referenced the club’s quarterfinal win over Real Madrid — when they won the first leg 3-0 at home before a 2-1 victory away at Santiago Bernabeu — as he looks ahead to next Wednesday’s return game.
“If you want to be in the Champions League final, you have to do something special,” he said. “We’re going to have to do something special in Paris to be there.
“We’re at half-time and my message is exactly the same as how it was against Real Madrid at home, 3-0. We have to go to Paris and win the game. We are more than capable of doing it.
“I saw two very good teams, but the margins are so small. They had efficiency in front of the goal. The keeper as well made a difference to see the result that we’ve seen tonight.”
PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made two excellent saves — one in each half from Gabriel Martinelli and later Leandro Trossard — but Luis Enrique’s side could have extended their advantage when Bradley Barcola wasted a glorious chance before Gonçalo Ramos hit the crossbar.
Underlying the scale of Arsenal’s task, the north London side have failed to advance on the four previous occasions that they lost the first leg of a Champions League knockout tie at home.
“We showed from the 25th minute that we can win against any team,” Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya said. “We’ve shown this season we can win away from home, so we’re going to go to Paris next week to win the game,” he said.
Arsenal will welcome back Thomas Partey for the second leg after he served a one-match ban on Tuesday.
