Arsenal’s victory over Real Madrid in the 2024/25 Champions League quarter-finals is undoubtedly one of the most impressive results in the club’s recent history.
The 5-1 aggregate success not only fired the Gunners into a last four tie against Paris Saint-Germain, but also sent shockwaves around Europe.
However, much like playing high-stakes games at the best online poker sites UK at FIRST, Mikel Arteta’s side cannot afford to take their eyes off the main prize.
Beating the reigning champions home and away is no mean feat, but it will count for nothing if captain Martin Odegaard does not lift the trophy on May 31.
While that may seem like a churlish statement to make after such a fantastic result, it is a sentiment which Arteta echoed in his post-match press conference.
He admitted that he was ‘not satisfied’ by reaching the semi-finals and urged the players to be introspective about their victory over Madrid.
“I’m here to experience these kinds of games and to go through them,” Arteta said. “I know that some days you’re going to win, some days you’re going to lose.
“So, be very critical with yourself tonight. There are things that we can still do much better and I have to help the team to do better.
“The biggest pride is when I look at them and I talk to them, how convinced they feel and that’s been part of our job and of the coaches, and that’s why it’s a joy to work with them.
“We have an amazing tie now against PSG – a team that we know really well and we have already played against. So, let’s start to prepare for that.”
Arteta’s eagerness to quickly switch focus onto the semi-final against PSG is a sensible move to make. The Ligue 1 side are a massive threat to Arsenal’s hopes of success.
The Gunners triumphed 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium when the two sides met in the league phase of the competition and they will take plenty of confidence from that result.
However, PSG were in a transitional period after losing star forward Kylian Mbappe last summer and have improved massively since then.
Younger players such as Warren Zaire-Emery and Desire Doue have subsequently helped PSG become a more rounded team than the one previously spearheaded by Mbappe.
Victories over Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa in this competition highlight PSG’s ability to compete against the top clubs in the Premier League.
While the bookmakers rate PSG as the marginal favourites to reach the final, their performance in the previous round demonstrated some vulnerabilities.
The French side were superb in the first leg against Villa, claiming a 3-1 victory at the Parc de Princes to take control of their quarter-final tie.
They extended their overall advantage to four goals in the reverse fixture, before Villa roared back to cut the deficit to one with more than 30 minutes to play.
But for some stellar saves by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, the Midlands outfit would now be preparing for a semi-final tie against Arsenal.
The fact that PSG got over the line at Villa Park demonstrated a new steely resolve for a club which has repeatedly been accused of ‘flakiness’ in the Champions League.
They unquestionably present a major hurdle for Arsenal to overcome and the upcoming semi-final tie promises to be an absolutely thrilling encounter.
Odds of 1/1 for the Gunners to progress to the final highlight the tight nature of the contest, but they are fancied to get the job done.
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