London: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is urging his players to believe they can win the Champions League for the first time, emphasizing that they’ve already defeated “the best opposition you can face in the competition.”

Their emphatic 5-1 aggregate victory over defending champions Real Madrid in the quarterfinals — with wins both home and away — has significantly raised expectations that Arsenal could go all the way.

Arteta acknowledged that everyone associated with Arsenal feels the weight of history heading into the semifinal clash against Paris Saint-Germain, beginning with the first leg at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday. He wants his team to embrace the moment.

Asked whether Arsenal should be considered favorites following their performance against Madrid, Arteta said they have “generated enthusiasm and possibilities no one probably expected.”

“But when you look at our history — and you go back to our history — we have never done it,” he said. “So there is so much to do. Hopefully if someone believes we can do it, it’s because of the performances and what the team is transmitting against big opposition.”

Arsenal lost the Champions League final to Barcelona in 2006 and fell in the semifinals to Manchester United in 2009. They haven’t reached the last four since then.

“There’s a lot of people working at the club for many, many years and they’ve never been in this position,” Arteta said. “That tells you how unique and beautiful it is. It is the biggest competition, the European Cup, and we’ve never done it. We need to earn the right to be in that final.”

Arteta also drew inspiration from Arsenal’s women’s team, who reached the Women’s Champions League final for the first time since 2007 after a 4-1 win over record eight-time champions Lyon on Sunday.

“It’s incredible what they have done,” Arteta said. “To achieve it in the manner they have done it, they’ve shown the road, the pathway, how we can do it.”

In a rallying cry, Arteta urged fans to “bring your boots, your shorts, your T-shirts and let’s play every ball together” against PSG, hoping to recreate the electric atmosphere from the 3-0 first-leg win over Madrid at the Emirates.

“If we want to do something special,” he said, “that place has to be something special that we haven’t seen.” | AP