Arsenal Urged By Arteta To Enjoy The Moment Against PSG

JAKARTA - Mikel Arteta said Arsenal felt the weight of history, but urged their players to enjoy the moment when they tried to reach the Champions League final.

The Gunners have never won a major European tournament. The first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday 30 April 2025, early morning WIB, was their first appearance at this stage since 2009 and only the third time.

"You feel it, especially because of us, fortunately, has a lot of people who have worked at the club for years."

"They've never been in this position. So, it shows how unique and beautiful this tournament is. It's the best tournament for any European club."

"We've never done it before. So, we need to get the right to enter that final and everything will start tomorrow," said Arteta.

Arteta further emphasized that Arsenal should not be anticlimactic. This means that he wants his troops to continue to be desperately to channel their desire to start a new road.

"Now is the time to say, okay, this is us, this is us as a team, this is me as an individual. I will do my best to make it happen."

"Play with that mindset and let yourself move. They know that now it's all about where the boundaries are and how far I can afford it, and how far I want to go. That's all."

"Living the present, the present. This is where we are. We are very lucky. We have made so many efforts to be in our current position."

"We got it with hard work, with our enthusiasm, because we faced a lot of challenges."

"We managed to compete at the highest level for 10 months. So, we deserve it now. Come and enjoy this moment. This is a beautiful moment. Let's live it and enjoy it," he said.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will play without Thomas Partey after the midfielder is banned from playing one game due to a yellow card in the second quarter-finals against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

It was the only negative thing from an amazing night that the Gunners secured a 2-1 win that night to ensure a 5-1 aggregate win over Los Blancos.

Arteta said his players would take inspiration from the match against Real Madrid in Bernabeu.

"I think going to Bernabeu may be the biggest test you can face as a European team because of its history, because of the latest history, and a lot of things are going on there."

"I think we handled the game very, very well. I think it brings confidence and experience to a team that most of us never had before," said Arteta.

Ben White and Mikel Merino trained early at London Colney, but Riccardo Calafiori was absent due to a knee injury.

Because Partey is not available, Merino is expected to return to the role of conventional midfielder with Leandro Trossard recruited to the front lines.