Declan Rice d’Arsenal insisted on Tuesday that the Gunners are convinced that they can “deliver something special” by overthrowing a first leg deficit of 1-0 when they confront Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital in the return match of their link in the semi-final of the Champions League. “We are here to win the match. We are here to make a statement. We want to arrive in the final. So we have to be ready to go and do it,” Rice told journalists from the Parc des Princes on the eve of Wednesday’s confrontation.
“We must have big balls and we have to go to the biggest scene and show that we are ready to play at this level.
“It will be the biggest night in the history of this club if we can arrive in the final. So we are ready to leave.”
PSG holds the advantage of Wednesday’s match after a week ago, Ousmane Dembele’s first goal gave them a close victory to the Emirates Stadium.
However, Rice and Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said they thought they could take over a team that eliminated the opposition of the Premier League in each of the last two laps, eliminating Liverpool in the last 16 and Aston Villa in the quarterfinals.
“I think you have to have a complete belief,” said Rice.
“We certainly have that as a group. I think that if we are the best verses of ourselves tomorrow evening – and we know that we can be that – it does not prevent us from embarking on this final.”
The Star of England said that Arsenal could rely on the experience of facing the European Champions of Real Madrid in Spain in the last round, when the Arteta team won 2-1 to progress 5-1 in aggregate.
“When we went to Bernabeu to the other week, there were a lot of questions about the question of whether we could get up on this occasion,” said Rice, who marked two wonderful free kicks during the first stage of this equality.
“We obviously had a 3-0 lead, but there were still so many discussions on their return and playing the Bernabeu and we had not experienced this before.
“But I think that as a group, we have managed as well. We have proven that we can manage major situations and tomorrow evening is another massive step for this team.”
Owling FIRST Final since 2006
Arsenal must win the evening if they want to go to Munich later this month for the Champions League final for the second time in the history of the club.
This means that someone will have to intensify and make a hero, just as Rice did against Madrid on the last round.
“In this match against Real Madrid, I was obviously able to produce two free kicks that were incredible, but tomorrow evening is set up for someone else may have this magical moment.
“I hope we can deliver something special.”
Arteta, who was playing for PSG, said that his team did not deserve to lose in the first leg and called them to get up again on occasion by obtaining the first appearance of the Gunners in the final of the Elite Club competition since 2006.
“We are a victory far from being in the final of the Champions League, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, against a great adversary. This does not improve this,” he said.
“We are here to make the story.”
Arteta said the physical condition of Dutch defender Jurrien Timber would be assessed Tuesday evening before a decision was made to find out if he could appear.
However, Riccardo Calafiori traveled with the team in Paris and is in good shape – the Italian has not played since the last 16, in the second stage against PSV Eindhoven on March 12.
Earlier, PSG coach Luis Enrique said Dembele, winner of the first-row match, capable of playing despite a problem of ischioshiwhile in London last week.
(With the exception of the title, this story has not been published by NDTV staff and is published from a unionized flow.)
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