Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said he is excited for two ‘magical’ Champions League semi-final ties against Atletico Madrid.
Arsenal booked their place in the last four after a goalless draw with Sporting CP at the Emirates on Wednesday, a result that sealed a 1-0 aggregate success. The North Londoners have reached the Champions League semi-finals for the second straight season, a club first.
Arteta’s side will take on Atletico Madrid for a place in the final, after the Spanish side upset compatriots Barcelona in the quarter-finals.
The Arsenal manager is relishing the challenge and urged the club’s fans to relish the occasion.
Asked about his pride at Arsenal’s consecutive semi-finals, Arteta said in his post-match press conference” “My message was gratitude to them. I know the effort, the commitment that they put in.
“There’s been 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.
“We have had to do it as well in a very special way, missing a lot of important players, so big credit for that.
“I’m especially happy for our supporters because they were right behind the team today and we’re going to have two magical nights, one in Madrid and another one here in London against Atletico, so I’m very proud of them.”
