Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal plan to end Real Madrid’s Champions League defence

Mikel Arteta has set out his plan for how Arsenal can break a mental block in the UEFA Champions League and eliminate Real Madrid.

His side stormed past PSV Eindhoven in the last 16 to set up a quarter final showdown with the defending European champions.

Arteta led Arsenal to the Champions League quarter finals last season, in his competition debut as a Gunners boss, and he is determined to take the next step.

With Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League effectively already ended by Arne Slot’s Liverpool, Arteta’s season hangs on the incoming two games against Carlo Ancelotti, and he is ready for the challenge ahead.

“The dream is to win, to win the big trophies , and that’s what we’re aiming to do,” as per an exclusive interview with Diario AS.

“This club hasn’t been in the Champions League quarter finals twice in 15 years, which is a long time. And like that, there are many other things we’ve done.

“But, we have to create our own history now, and that means reaching these knockout stages, winning them, and getting on into to the semi finals. That’s the next step we have to take.

“I feel excited. I think we’ve been drawn against the opponent we’re all most excited about, because they’ve historically reigned supreme in the competition, and on their own merits.

“We have an opponent who’s going to demand the maximum from us in Europe’s best competition. So we are going to go for it.

“We have to be better than them, and believe in ourselves from the first minute, and be effective in the decisive moments.

“We know that in the Champions League, matches are decided in the penalty areas, that’s what we look at.

Arsenal’s only previous Champions League meeting with Los Blancos came in the 2005/06 last 16 stage as Thierry Henry silenced the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in a 1-0 win.