Mikel Arteta: Now is the moment to make a statement
By Joel Masibo, April 29, 2026After securing a place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the second year running, head coach Mikel Arteta has challenged his Arsenal squad to rise to the occasion and carve out a memorable chapter for the club.
A year after falling short against eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain at the same stage, the Gunners have returned to the final four. They now travel to face Atlético Madrid with ambitions of building on their steady improvement and reaching only their second-ever final in the competition on Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
Arteta acknowledged how far the team has come, especially after years away from Europe’s elite tournament, but emphasized the importance of making a strong statement as they aim to cap their campaign with major silverware.
Time to make statement
“It’s a massive privilege to be here again, two years in a row at the same part of the Champions League, representing our club,” he said in his pre-match press conference. “We have an opportunity, we’re going to grab it with both hands. You’re going to see a team that wants to be dominant, that wants to win it, and they want to start to decide the tie tomorrow.
“This is the status that we want, and we have earned it through incredible work, passion and quality in the last nine months. Now is the moment to make a statement, and show how good we are, how much we want it, and make it happen. It’s clear, the opportunity is in front of us, and we have to attack it.
“I don’t take it for granted because a very short time ago, this club had seven years without Champions League. So, in that very short period of time, what we have achieved is remarkable. We know the difficulty of it, we know how much we worked for this, so enjoy it, take the opportunity, embrace it, because it’s very tough to be here.”
Like their Spanish opponents, Arsenal are just one step away from the final and a chance to lift Europe’s top prize for the first time. Arteta admitted that Atlético’s pedigree in the competition makes them a formidable opponent.
Having reached this phase multiple times before, the Spanish side bring valuable experience. However, Arsenal’s recent victories over top European teams have boosted confidence within the squad, with Arteta believing his players have what it takes to handle the challenge and secure another win on Spanish soil.
Atleti’s threat
“They’re a team that has so much experience in the competition, that have every right to be here, because what they’ve done is remarkable. We know the difficulty of the match, but I think we have shown in Europe, in any ground, what we are capable of.
“We’ve been very consistent, and tomorrow we have to play with that confidence, with that desire and that will, to come here to win the game.
“We have prepared the game to win it – there’s no question about that. We have to be ourselves and do what we do constantly with our opponents. And then, let’s see what the game throws, the level that we can show, the quality that we can show, and hopefully that’s going to be the case.”