Arsenal want to take Champions League trophy from PSG –Arteta
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta has set his sights on winning the Champions League trophy in the final against PSG at the Puskás Arena in Budapest, Hungary on Saturday.
The Gunners will slug it out with the defending champions for a chance to win their first-ever Champions League trophy while PSG are aiming to win it for second straight season.
Arteta admitted that the encounter will be tough but he has expressed his desire to wrestle the trophy from PSG.
He said: “Well, they are defending the trophy, they are the champions.
“They earned the right last season. And we are here to take that away from them.
“The ambition is bigger. We won the first and we want the second one. It has to be a platform to reach bigger destinations. The team is capable. I want the players to be so confident that we can go and do it.”
The Spanish manager also urged his players to own the moment and ensure they end their trophy drought in the competition.
Arteta said: “It’s the opportunity to own the moment, it’s the second time in our history we are here.
“We have the opportunity tomorrow to write a new chapter in the history of this football club.
“We have to play tomorrow with such a clarity, a lot of courage and a relentless desire to win. If we have those three aspects, I’m sure we are going to be close to winning.”
Arsenal ended a 22-year wait to win the Premier League title on Sunday, Arteta has urged his players to go all out for the trophy.
He concluded: “(Our) ambition is bigger. We have one (trophy) and we want the second one.
“That’s all we have been talking about — that has to be a platform to reach bigger destinations and to aim for more, and the team is capable… I want the players to be so confident that we’re gonna go and do it.”
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Arteta confirmed that Jurriel Timber is fit and available to start the encounter.
Similarly, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is also confident that the team can end their Champions League trophy drought.
He said: “It was 22 years since we last won the Premier League and now we finally did it.
“So we want to make even more history and, you know, when you get the taste of winning and lifting a trophy, you know how nice it feels.”
The Gunners hold the best defensive record in this season’s Champions League, conceding six goals in 14 matches (0.43 per game).
The record among teams to play 13+ matches in a single campaign remains 0.31 per game, held jointly by Arsenal (2005-06, lost to Barcelona in the final) and Chelsea (2020-21, won the trophy).
