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Let's play every ball together' Arteta urges fans to hit PSG with 'special' atmosphere
The Guardian
|April 29, 2025
Mikel Arteta has told the Arsenal support to "bring your boots" and a can-do attitude for the Champions League semi-final first-leg at home against Paris Saint-Germain tonight, as he radiated conviction that the club was primed to make history.
The manager described the game as the biggest of his career and one of the most significant hosted by the Emirates Stadium, which opened for the 2006-07 season. It is Arsenal's third appearance in the last four of Europe's elite competition, after the victory against Villarreal in 2005-06 and the defeat by Manchester United in 2008-09.
Arsenal were beaten by Barcelona in the 2005-06 final and Arteta wants to harness the collective yearning for a first Champions League triumph, not to mention the connection he has built between the team and the fans. It underpinned the electric home atmosphere for the 3-0 quarter-final first-leg win against Real Madrid, which set up a 5-1 aggregate win.
"I told them [the supporters]: 'Guys, bring your boots, bring your shorts, bring your T-shirts and let's play every ball together," Arteta said. "We want to do something special.
This story is from the April 29, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
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