Mikel Arteta said Arsenal’s progression to the Champions League semi-finals can act as a massive boost for his side’s pivotal top-of-the-table Premier League clash against Manchester City.
Arsenal made sure of their second successive last-four spot on Europe’s grandest stage for the first time in their history with a 0-0 draw against Sporting Lisbon at the Emirates, a week after Kai Havertz’s stoppage-time opening-leg winner in Portugal.
They will now face Atletico Madrid over two legs for a place in this season’s final.
Arsenal, who lost against Bournemouth last Saturday, were not at their best – and Sporting’s Geny Catamo struck David Raya’s post in the first half.
But the goalless draw will serve Arteta’s side with renewed hope that they will not end the season empty-handed ahead of their trip to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
“One hundred per cent,” said Arteta when asked if the result can serve as springboard for their meeting with Pep Guardiola’s side.
“This is a massive push to win the semi-final of the Champions League. It’s extremely tough and we know what we’ve done. We deserve it, fully deserve it as well, and we’re going to enjoy it because we deserve it.
“My message (to the players) was gratitude to them. I know the effort and the commitment that they have put in.
“There’s a lot of work behind it. We’ve done something that has never been done in the history of our club in 140 years, so that tells you the difficulty of that, and we had to do it in a very special way, missing a lot of important players.”
Gunners misfiring ahead of pivotal City trip
Arteta continued to be without Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber through injury. Noni Madueke will also be a doubt for the match at City after he limped off with a knee problem in the second half.
That will do little to help a side who are clearly struggling for fluency in attack. Defeat to City would open the door for Pep Guardiola's side to go level on points with the Gunners at the top of the league if they then win their game in hand.
The Gunners recorded an expected goals of just 0.64 against Sporting at the Emirates while they have found the back of the net just three times in their last five games.
Arsenal headed into Wednesday’s fixture facing criticism for their shock 2-1 defeat against Bournemouth which followed a Carabao Cup final loss against City and a dismal FA Cup exit to Southampton.
But for the second season in a row, Arsenal are the only Premier League team left standing in the last four of the Champions League.
And Arteta added: “There is a reason why we are the only English team in the competition, because this league and this schedule takes the hell out of you.
“We are not perfect, we need to improve things, that’s for sure and we recognise that. But there’s value in what these players have done.”
Kompany proud as Bayern beat Madrid in slugfest
Elsewhere, Luis Diaz and Michael Olise fired Bayern Munich past 10-man Real Madrid and into a Champions League semi-final showdown with Paris Saint-Germain in a dramatic conclusion to a pulsating tie.
Less than three minutes after Madrid substitute Eduardo Camavinga had been sent off, Diaz drilled home his side’s third equaliser before Olise struck in stoppage time to clinch a 4-3 win on the night.
The victory extended Bayern’s unbeaten run to 16 games in all competitions and sealed a 6-4 aggregate triumph, a first over the Spanish giants in a two-legged tie since 2012.
On a night when the 15-times winners were made to pay for indiscipline – Arda Guler was also dismissed after the final whistle – the game remained in the melting pot throughout.
Bayern boss Vincent Kompany said: “It was a very emotional game. We had lots of possession and always had the feeling we could score. But Real Madrid are Real Madrid. They are always a threat. The boys were mentally strong today to recover from setbacks. The fans helped us as well. We stayed calm and always felt that our moment would come.”
Real Madrid now look likely to finish a second season in a row without silverware and serious doubts now exist over the future of boss Alvaro Arbeloa.
But he said: “That was a great match. We scored three goals and we had the chances to score more. I feel for [the players]. For the effort they made. It hurts because Real Madrid won't win their 16th title this year. I'm very proud. We're going back to Madrid after giving it our all.”
