Mikel Arteta has urged his players to give their lives to reach the Champions League final as Arsenal prepare to face Paris Saint-Germain this week.
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Article continues below
Article continues below
- Gunners 1-0 down from first leg
- Face PSG in French capital
- Arteta urges players to give everything
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Arteta's Arsenal head to the Parc des Princes on Wednesday as they bid to turn around a 1-0 deficit from the first leg in north London. The Gunners will have Thomas Partey back but will be without a host of first-team starters, including Gabriel, Kai Havertz and Jorginho, but Arteta remains optimistic.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
The Gunners boss says he is "convinced" by the quality of his team but has told his players they must "give their lives" if they want to reach a first Champions League final since 2006. The Premier League side have never won Europe's premier club competition.
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WHAT MIKEL ARTETA SAID
Arteta told : "Excitement, goosebumps, wanting the day to arrive, [the feeling] of being very prepared, very convinced and knowing that the opportunity is to play in a Champions [League] final. And when you get to that point, you have to give your life for it."
Speaking about the first leg, he added: "Look, when I was going through the tunnel, I see [Takehiro] Tomiyasu out, [Riccardo] Calafiori out, Gabriel Magalhaes out, Kai Havertz out, Gabriel Jesus out, Thomas Partey out, Jorginho out. Starters!
"And I see the team compete and I get goosebumps. Because we have a lot of merit and yet the game was by very, very, very small margins that weren't on our side that day. That's why I'm very optimistic."
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WHAT NEXT?
Arsenal play PSG on Wednesday and will hope to heed Arteta's words. Otherwise, they face yet more European disappointment.
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