IN THE PARTEY MOOD

Thomas tells Gunners they have to seize the moment in Bernabeu barnstormer

- BY MIKE WALTERS

THEY will be mad for it in Madrid, and Thomas Partey says Arsenal have reached a "beautiful moment" in Mikel Arteta's grand design to conquer Europe.

In the modern lexicon of hipster prattle, everybody in football these days talks about a 'project' as if forward planning was an optional alternative to busking it.

For most fans of a certain age, projects mean geography field trips or extra homework.

But there is no denying that Arsenal's Champions League moment of truth against Real Madrid on Wednesday night feels like a defining pinch point in manager Arteta's reign.

And midfielder Partey, a veteran of trips to the Bernabeu cauldron in his previous incarnation with cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid, agrees it will be a decisive test of the Gunners' mentality.

Arsenal have never lost a three-goal advantage from the first leg of a knockout tie in Europe, and Partey says they are in no mood to become the fall guys.