Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard say Arsenal are ready to make history ahead of Champions League semi-final with Atletico Madrid
Arsenal face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday as they bid to reach the final for the first time since 2006; Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard insist they are ready to make history, despite their recent struggles
Tuesday 28 April 2026 21:54, UK
"How can you not enjoy it?" Martin Odegaard seemed almost affronted when asked if he and his Arsenal team-mates could find a way to enjoy the pressure of their trophy hunt ahead of their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid.
"We're playing in probably the toughest and most competitive league in the world and we're at the top fighting for the title," he continued. "We're in the semi-final in the Champions League.
"For me, it's hard to understand how you can't enjoy that."
Arsenal haven't looked like a team enjoying themselves lately, in fairness. Saturday's gruelling 1-0 win over Newcastle was only their second in their last seven games. But both captain and manager have arrived in Madrid in a bullish mood.
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"This is the stage that we want to be on and we have earned it through incredible work, passion and quality in the last nine months," added Mikel Arteta at their pre-match press conference.
"Now is the moment to make a statement and show how good we are, how much we want it and make it happen. The opportunity is in front of us and we have to attack it."
Arsenal's Premier League title battle with Manchester City, and its associated anxiety, has come to dominate their season as they bid to end a 22-year wait to lift the trophy.
But there is an even more historic feat to fight for in Europe. Arsenal are two games away from only the second Champions League final in their history, having never previously won the competition. They are in back-to-back semi-finals for the first time.
"I don't take it for granted," added Arteta. "Because a very short time ago, this club had seven years without the Champions League.
"So, in those very short periods of time, what we have achieved is remarkable. And we know the difficulty of it.
"It's a massive privilege to be here again, two years in a row, in the semi-finals of the Champions League, representing our club.
"What an opportunity. We are going to grab it with both hands. You are going to see a team that wants to be dominant, that wants to win it, and wants to start and decide the tie."
This competition has provided some moments to savour for Arsenal over the last two years, last season's dismantling of Atletico's rivals Real Madrid in the last eight chief among them. But both manager and players are determined to take the next step.
There is an acceptance that it won't be easy. Arsenal's players have appeared weighed down by expectations recently. Odegaard admits there is psychological baggage from falling short in previous campaigns in their hunt for major silverware.
"That is always going to be there until we win it [a trophy]. That's something we have to live with. We have to take all the experiences and the lessons. That's part of football and part of the journey.
"It's the best part of the season. Everyone is up for it. Everyone is excited. It's another great opportunity for us do do something special. We have to take all the lessons from the past and take them into this. We're going to do that."
Arsenal have laboured offensively for much of the second half of the season. They have only scored five goals in their last seven games in all competitions. But Diego Simeone's side certainly felt the force of their firepower in their last meeting.
The Gunners ran out 4-0 winners in the league phase in October and Arteta is adamant Wednesday's game at Metropolitano Stadium will be approached with the same intent.
Arsenal have leaned on their defence during the knockouts, only conceding one goal across four games against Bayer Leverkusen and Sporting. But any suggestion of a defence-first attitude against Atletico was batted away by Arteta.
"It's going to be a really tough match. They are a team and manager that have so much experience in the competition. They have every right to be here because of what they've done. It's remarkable.
"We know the difficulty of the match but we have shown in Europe, in any ground, what we are capable of.
"We have to play with that confidence, with that desire and that will to come here to win the game."
Once again, they will need to shut out the noise that has come with their dip in form in recent weeks. But it's a challenge they are ready for, according to Odegaard, even if he accepts some of the coverage is unavoidable for him and his team-mates.
"For some people, maybe stay away from the phone," he said. "But in today's society it's impossible to not see things.
"It's about being strong mentally and being focused on the right things, to live day by day and game by game. It doesn't matter what the people say. We can't control that. We can work every single day as hard as we can. Just keep doing that.
"It's massive for all of us. We're in a great position to make history and that's what we want to do.
"I've been at this club for a while now and I've seen the progression. It's been amazing to be a part of that. We want to take that last step and do something really big and that's what we're all working towards every single day."
Arsenal's bullishness even extended to the weather warnings around possible storms on Wednesday.
"We adapt to any context," said Arteta. "For the last nine months, imagine the amount of games we have played.
"We have played in different scenarios, different contexts, with different opponents. So we adapt to the conditions tomorrow in the best possible way to be ourselves and win the game."
