ARSENAL have not made it past the Champions League quarter-finals since 2009, but manager Mikel Arteta wants his span to write their own history when they host Real Madrid for the first leg of their quarter-final at the Emirates on Tuesday (9pm kickoff).
Real, the record 15-time European champions, have won six Champions League titles since 2009 while Arsenal continue their hunt for a first crown.
Arteta, whose team last year bowed out of the competition after a quarter-final loss to German side Bayern Munich, urged his side to back themselves.
Arteta says: “It’s a club [Real] that has set new standards in world football. This is where we want to be, where we want to belong.
“It’s part of their history. We have to write our own history. We have to focus on our thing. They can hurt us a lot but we can too.
“With a lot of hope that we can get a result, that we can do it. We need to be convinced that we can do it. We need to just enjoy it.
“It will be just the first leg, the intention is clear for tomorrow [Tuesday]. We’re going to go for it.”
In the other quarter-final first leg on Tuesday, Bayern Munich welcome Inter Milan to the Allianz Arena at 9pm.