Arteta: Arsenal need to ´give our lives´ to reach Champions League final

Arsenal need to be ready to give their life to reach the Champions League final, according to manager Mikel Arteta.

The Gunners face Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday in the second leg of their semi-final tie.

PSG take a one-goal lead into the second leg after winning 1-0 at Emirates Stadium last week.

But Arsenal will not be lacking any motivation.

“Excitement, goosebumps, wanting the day to arrive, [the feeling] of being very prepared, very convinced and knowing that the opportunity is to play in a Champions [League] final,” Arteta told ESPN.

“And when you get to that point, you have to give your life for it.”

Arsenal’s defeat to PSG last week was their first at home in the Champions League all season and they will be boosted by the return of Thomas Partey, who will return from suspension, though they will be without a host of first-team players through injury.

We’ll fight for every single ball. pic.twitter.com/Iodp3qP6h3

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 4, 2025

The strain on Arteta’s squad that saw him name four academy players with one Premier League appearance between them this season on the bench for the first leg is yet to let up.

On the injury issues, the Arsenal manager said: “Look, when I was going through the tunnel, I see [Takehiro] Tomiyasu out, [Riccardo] Calafiori out, Gabriel Magalhaes out, Kai Havertz out, Gabriel Jesus out, Thomas Partey out, Jorginho out. Starters!

“And I see the team compete and I get goosebumps. Because we have a lot of merit and yet the game was by very, very, very small margins that weren’t on our side that day. That’s why I’m very optimistic.”

Arteta will be aiming for a significant improvement on their 2-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, despite having initially gone a goal up.

According to Opta’s supercomputer, Arsenal have a 20% chance of reaching the final.

Only two teams have ever reached the Champions League final having lost the first leg of their semi-final tie at home, with Ajax overcoming Panathinaikos in 1995-96, and Tottenham doing the same against Ajax in 2018-19.