After an incredible 5-1 aggregate win over Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, Arsenal are now just three matches away from claiming the UEFA Champions League title for the first time in their history.
It marks only the third time Arsenal have reached the semi-final stage of the competition. They came close to winning it in 2006, reaching the final and taking a 1-0 lead against Barcelona before ultimately losing 2-1.
Their only other semi-final appearance came in 2008/09, when they were beaten by Manchester United.
Now, a two-legged semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain awaits. Could this finally be Arsenal’s year?
Arsenal progressed to the last four by knocking out the competition’s most successful team, Real Madrid. They have won 15 Champions League titles, winning it in six of the last 11 seasons, including in 2023/24 but the Spanish side were no match for the Gunners, who won 3-0 in the first leg before a 2-1 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Arsenal are the first side since 2003/04 to meet Real Madrid in a Champions League quarter-final and knock them out. Real Madrid had won 12 quarter-final ties in a row before Arsenal beat them this season.
It also extended an unbeaten record for Arsenal against Real Madrid. They have now met four times, with Arsenal winning three and drawing one. Arsenal are also the first team to win their first two matches at against Real at the Bernabeu.
In Wednesday’s win, Bukayo Saka emulated Thierry Henry’s celebration at the Bernabeu when they lost won there, in 2006.
Earlier in the knockout rounds, Mikel Arteta’s side comfortably saw off PSV Eindhoven 9-3 on aggregate in the last 16, after Arsenal finished third in the league phase with 19 points from eight matches.
Across their 12 matches so far, the Gunners have won nine, drawn two and lost only one, scoring 30 goals and conceded only seven – the second-best defensive record left in the competition behind Internazionale, who have conceded just five, but scored only 19.
Arsenal’s ONLY loss in the Champions League this season was a 1-0 defeat to Internazionale, who they could potentially meet in the final.
Who must Arsenal beat to win the Champions League?
Arsenal’s immediate hurdle is PSG, who secured a fourth successive Ligue 1 title earlier this month, with six matches to spare. PSG are unbeaten in league matches this season, winning 23 and drawing five of their 28 matches.
Led by Luis Enrique, PSG have already knocked out two English teams from this season’s Champions League in Liverpool and Aston Villa.
However, Arsenal can take confidence from their 2-0 home win over the Parisians in October, with first-half strikes from Kai Havertz and Saka sealing the points in the league phase.
Like Arsenal, PSG have never won a Champions League title.
Victory over two legs would set up a final against either Barcelona or Internazionale.
Barcelona, vying for a first Champions League title since 2015, brushed aside Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals, winning 5-3 on aggregate despite a second-leg scare.
Their five Champions League trophies make them one of Europe’s most successful clubs, behind only Real Madrid (15), AC Milan (7), Liverpool (6) and Bayern Munich (6) and this season they have been prolific, scoring 37 goals – the most in the competition. They finished second to Liverpool in the league phase.
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona also sit atop the LaLiga table with a four-point margin.
Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, at just 17 years of age, boasts 35 goal contributions in all competitions. Meanwhile, Raphinha, the former Leeds United winger, has amassed 50 goal involvements across all competitions this season and is the Champions League’s second-highest scorer, with 12 goals, marking him out as a Ballon d’Or contender.
Standing in Barcelona’s way are Internazionale, who have been arguably the most consistent side in the Champions League this season.
After conceding just one goal in the league phase, they swept aside Feyenoord and then Bayern Munich, knocking out the Germans with a 4-3 aggregate win.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Matteo Darmian provide familiar faces for Premier League fans with Simone Inzaghi’s side also sitting top of Serie A and looking good for a second consecutive league title.
Their last semi-final meeting with Barcelona, under Jose Mourinho in 2010, ended with Inter going on to lift the trophy. They will hope history repeats itself.
Inter are the only side to beat Arsenal in this season’s Champions League, winning 1-0 at San Siro back in November.
– Semi-final first leg: Arsenal v PSG, Tue 29 April, 20:00 BST, Emirates Stadium
– Semi-final second leg: PSG v Arsenal, Wed 7 May, 20:00 BST, Parc des Princes
– Final: Arsenal/PSG v Barcelona/Inter, Sat 31 May, 20:00 BST, Allianz Arena
Credit: Premier League
