Arsenal aim to ‘make statement’ in PSG semi-final showdown

Arsenal’s Declan Rice speaks during a press conference ahead of the Champions League semi-final second leg match against PSG in Paris. (EPA Images pic).PARIS: Arsenal’s Declan Rice insisted Tuesday the Gunners are confident they can “deliver something special” by overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit when they face Paris St-Germain in the French capital in the return match of their Champions League semi-final tie.“We’re here to win the game. We’re here to make a statement. We want to get to the final. So we need to be ready to go and do that,” Rice told reporters at the Parc des Princes on the eve of Wednesday’s showdown.“We need to have big balls and we need to go out there on the biggest stage and show that we’re ready to play at this level.“It’s going to be the biggest night in this club’s history if we can get to the final. So we’re fully ready to go.”PSG hold the advantage coming into Wednesday’s match after Ousmane Dembele’s early goal gave them a narrow victory at the Emirates Stadium a week ago.However, both Rice and Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said they believed they could get the better of a side who have eliminated Premier League opposition in each of the last two rounds, knocking out Liverpool in the last 16 and Aston Villa in the quarter-finals.“I think you need to have full belief,” Rice said.“We certainly have that as a group. I think if we are the best versions of ourselves tomorrow night – and we know we can be that – there is no stopping us getting into that final.”The England star said Arsenal could lean on the experience of facing reigning European champions Real Madrid in Spain in the last round, when Arteta’s team won 2-1 to progress 5-1 on aggregate.“When we went to the Bernabeu the other week there were a lot of questions about whether we could rise to that occasion,” said Rice, who scored two wonderful free-kicks in the first leg of that tie.“We obviously had a 3-0 lead but there was still so much talk about them coming back and playing at the Bernabeu and we had not experienced that before.“But I think as a group we handled that amazingly well. We have proved that we can handle big situations and tomorrow night is another massive step for this team.”Arsenal have to win on the night if they are to make it to Munich later this month for the Champions League final for the second time in the club’s history.That means someone will need to step up and make themselves a hero, just as Rice did against Madrid in the last round.“In that game against Real Madrid, obviously I was able to produce two free-kicks which were incredible, but tomorrow night is set up for someone else to maybe get that magic moment.“Hopefully we can deliver something special.”Arteta, who used to play for PSG, said his side did not deserve to lose in the first leg and called on them to rise to the occasion once again by securing the Gunners’ first appearance in the final of Europe’s elite club competition since 2006.“We are a win away from being in the Champions League final, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, against a great opponent. It doesn’t get much better than that,” he said.“We are here to make history.”Arteta said Dutch defender Jurrien Timber’s fitness would be assessed on Tuesday evening before a decision would be taken on whether he could feature.However, Riccardo Calafiori travelled with the squad to Paris and is fit – the Italian has not played since the last 16, second leg against PSV Eindhoven on March 12.Earlier, PSG coach Luis Enrique declared first-leg match-winner Dembele fit to play despite coming off with a hamstring issue in London last week.Witness football history in Malaysia as Manchester United take on the Asean All-Stars – it’s the clash you can’t afford to miss. Book your seat now at myticketempire.com/manumy before they’re gone!

MatchPoint Times

Arsenal aim to ‘make statement’ in PSG semi-final showdown

Declan Rice, who stunned Real Madrid with two freekicks, urges teammates to deliver the magic moment in Paris.

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