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Arsenal’s Declan Rice insisted Tuesday the Gunners are confident they can “deliver something special” by overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital in the return match of their Champions League semi-final tie.

“We’re here to win the game. We’re here to make a statement. We want to get to the final. So we need to be ready to go and do that,” Rice told reporters at the Parc des Princes on the eve of Wednesday’s showdown.

“We need to have big balls and we need to go out there on the biggest stage and show that we’re ready to play at this level.

“It’s going to be the biggest night in this club’s history if we can get to the final. So we’re fully ready to go.”

PSG hold the advantage coming into Wednesday’s match after Ousmane Dembele’s early goal gave them a narrow victory at the Emirates Stadium a week ago.

However, both Rice and Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said they believed they could get the better of a side who have eliminated Premier League opposition in each of the last two rounds, knocking out Liverpool in the last 16 and Aston Villa in the quarter-finals.

“I think you need to have full belief,” Rice said.

“We certainly have that as a group. I think if we are the best versions of ourselves tomorrow night -– and we know we can be that –- there is no stopping us getting into that final.”

The England star said Arsenal could lean on the experience of facing reigning European champions Real Madrid in Spain in the last round, when Arteta’s team won 2-1 to progress 5-1 on aggregate.

“When we went to the Bernabeu the other week there were a lot of questions about whether we could rise to that occasion,” said Rice, who scored two wonderful free-kicks in the first leg of that tie.

“We obviously had a 3-0 lead but there was still so much talk about them coming back and playing at the Bernabeu and we had not experienced that before.

“But I think as a group we handled that amazingly well. We have proved that we can handle big situations and tomorrow night is another massive step for this team.”

READ ALSO: Raphinha’s Rise Key To Barca’s Devastating Champions League Run

Eyeing first final since 2006 

Arsenal have to win on the night if they are to make it to Munich later this month for the Champions League final for the second time in the club’s history.

That means someone will need to step up and make themselves a hero, just as Rice did against Madrid in the last round.

“In that game against Real Madrid, obviously I was able to produce two free-kicks which were incredible, but tomorrow night is set up for someone else to maybe get that magic moment.

“Hopefully we can deliver something special.”

Arteta, who used to play for PSG, said his side did not deserve to lose in the first leg and called on them to rise to the occasion once again by securing the Gunners’ first appearance in the final of Europe’s elite club competition since 2006.

“We are a win away from being in the Champions League final, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, against a great opponent. It doesn’t get much better than that,” he said.

“We are here to make history.”

Arteta said Dutch defender Jurrien Timber’s fitness would be assessed on Tuesday evening before a decision would be taken on whether he could feature.

However, Riccardo Calafiori travelled with the squad to Paris and is fit — the Italian has not played since the last 16, second leg against PSV Eindhoven on March 12.

Earlier, PSG coach Luis Enrique declared first-leg match-winner Dembele fit to play despite coming off with a hamstring issue in London last week.

After their recent failures, Martin Odegaard has urged Arsenal to “stick together” in their decisive Champions League semifinal clash with Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

The Gunners travel to Parc des Princes with the difficult task of defeating the French champions for the second time in their history.

After Ousmane Dembele’s winner in north London, Mickel Arteta’s side trailed 1-0 from the opening match.

After defeating Manchester City in the group stage, PSG has already defeated Premier League leaders Liverpool in the last 16 and Aston Villa in the quarter-finals.

Also READ: Bournemouth defeat defeat for Arsenal before PSG showdown

After a disappointing first leg that had the potential to bring home a heavier defeat, Arsenal, who have never won the Champions League, are on the verge of taking on PSG’s current English title.

With a 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, they couldn’t have done much worse. They had already made preparations for the second leg of the competition.

After two agonizing losses, Arteta claimed Arsenal was full of “rage and anger.”

However, Gunners captain Odegaard said they can use those feelings to fuel a rousing triumph over PSG as long as no fault is made with the poorly timed slump.

We’re disappointed now, but we must move on, be courageous, persevere, and get ready for a big game, Odegaard said.

It is a massive game, it says. That is advantageous. You can use all those emotions into Wednesday when you are upset and angry right now.

We are aware of our goals. We must work together, create energy, and be prepared. ”

Arteta risked the fitness of his key players by making just two changes against Bournemouth, which raised eyebrows.

Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino were the only ones who did not face the Cherries, Arteta revealing that the Dutch defender will have to pass a fitness test before his place in the PSG game is decided.

a “Massive performance”

Second-placed Arsenal still needs to win two of its previous three league games to advance to the Champions League next season.

Arsenal’s current tournament schedule is what is currently attracting its attention, though.

After finishing last year’s season as the Premier League’s runners-up to Manchester City, Arteta and his players are heavily burdened by Arsenal’s failure to capture its first title since 2004.

Arsenal couldn’t keep up with champion Liverpool because of injuries and inconsistent form from their forwards.

Arteta is desperate to turn Arsenal’s undeniable quality into silverware, despite not having won any awards since winning the 2020 FA Cup.

Real Madrid and Arsenal cruised to a 5-1 aggregate victory to defeat them in the Champions League quarter-final this year.

However, disappointment is a constant in the North Londoners’ European history.

Alan Smith scored the winner in the 1994 Cup Winners’ Cup final, Arsenal winning the team’s final European trophy.

Despite winning numerous awards during Arsene Wenger’s reign, Galatasaray lost to the Frenchman in the 2000 UEFA Cup and Barcelona lost to Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League.

In Unai Emery’s brief tenure as manager, Arsenal also lost to Chelsea in the 2019 Europa League final.

Arsenal hope that George Graham’s men’s 1994 Cup Winners’ Cup success will be a positive sign for Wednesday’s game.

31 years ago, the Gunners defeated a PSG side led by George Weah and David Ginola in the semi-final, but they won 2-1 on aggregate.

One of the greatest outcomes in the history of the club will be achieved if Arsenal can overcome the current PSG generation’s deficit.

What was at stake was unmistakably clear in Arteta’s rallying cry.

He claimed that the current state of rage, anger, frustration, and stomach aches are all things.

So make sure we use that on Wednesday to perform well in Paris, triumph in the game, and advance to the final. ”

After recovering from a hamstring injury, Robert Lewandowski will start on the bench for Barcelona’s Champions League clash with Inter Milan, according to coach Hansi Flick.

Lewandowski, who suffered an injury against Celta Vigo last month, will be available as a substitute for Poland’s captain at the San Siro, where the teams will line up level at 3-3, after missing last week’s thrilling first leg in Catalonia.

“He is good, much better than we anticipated, and he is ready for the bench,” he said. So perhaps he can come in when we need him, Flick told reporters.

Lewandowski’s return to Barca is a huge boost for the veteran striker, who has scored 40 goals all season for the club, who need to win at San Siro to reach the final.

READ MORE: Harry Kane claims his first-ever trophy as Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga.

After defeating Real Madrid to win both the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey, Barca are on the verge of a quadruple of major titles in Flick’s first season as coach.

With only four games left in the Spanish league season, Flick’s team currently leads Madrid by four points.

Dani Olmo remarked, “I did imagine it was a quadruple bid.”

“I want to win everything,” he says. With all the trophies still to be won, Barca has the talent to be where they belong.

We have the drive and energy to pursue it.

Olmo added that Inter’s plan to double down on Lamine Yamal won’t stop Barca’s teenage wing wizard from wreaking the same havoc as he did last week.

The 17-year-old ran Inter’s defense like a machine at the Olympic Stadium, scoring a fantastic goal twice and striking the woodwork, and Inter coach Simone Inzaghi acknowledged that he would receive “special attention” from his defenders on Tuesday.

Simply put, “That means we’ll have a player free.” Olmo said, “Lamine has shown that he can play against one, two, or three defenders.”

If that’s the case, we’ll assist him. If he has two or three markers on him, that means we will have access to other players who are free to use our ideas and don’t change them.

The winner of Tuesday’s match will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal in the Champions League final in Munich later this month.