“Having done that, I’m very sure they’ll thrash Real Madrid like us”: Barcelona forward Rafinha has named ONE Mikel Arteta has done that made him believe they’ll thrash Real Madrid tomorrow

When Mikel Arteta took over as Arsenal head coach in December 2019, the idea of a Champions League clash with Real Madrid felt like a distant dream.

By the end of the 2020/21 campaign – a second successive eighth-place finish and no European football on the horizon – he must have wondered if it would ever become reality. But slowly, steadily, he turned the tide. First, by closing the gap on the top four. Then, by launching back-to-back title challenges that re-established the Gunners among Europe’s elite.

Last season’s Champions League run, ended by Bayern Munich, felt like a free hit for a side finding its feet on the continental stage. This time around, there’s been a noticeable shift. A solid defence, dominant home form and a smooth group stage campaign were followed by a ruthless dismantling of PSV Eindhoven in the first knockout round – signs of a team growing in confidence and belief.

While the gap between Arsenal and Real Madrid – the 15-time champions of Europe – remains sizeable, on and off the pitch, this week’s clash between the two sides serves as a perfect marker for how far Arteta’s project has come.

Viewed as underdogs by most, the Arsenal manager says his players are convinced they can beat Carlo Ancelotti’s side and reach the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since 2009.

“I think they are convinced [they can do it],” said Arteta of his players on Monday.

“If I have to convince them, I think we have a problem. It’s the level of conviction, regardless of what happens and any context that we have to play throughout this time. But they know exactly what they have to do.

“It is one of the most special things,” he added of the clash. “It’s a competition that we’ve been waiting for for many, many years.

“The fact that we’ve only been twice at this stage in 15 years with the size of Arsenal and the difficulty of that. We’re going to create our own story and go even further. Tomorrow is a beautiful opportunity for all of us.

“It’s a club [Real Madrid] that has set new standards in world football, that’s why they’ve done it more than anybody else. So that’s an inspiration for any manager, any club.

“This is where we want to be, this is where we want to belong, and these opportunities have to be taken in order to go in that direction.”

If limping out of the competition to an under-par Bayern Munich left a sour taste in the mouth last season, Arteta insists the experience was useful, and that his side, for all their injury problems, have improved.

“You have to put the game to bed and we didn’t, and on top of that we gave them two goals and made life much more difficult for us on the return leg in Munich,” reflected Arteta. ”

“I think we are [in a better place]. Building those experiences is something necessary, that’s why I said that we have to build our own story.

“There’s a massive gap there of so many years when nothing has happened in this football club in relation to European competitions. We need to change that and we need to change that quickly.”

While Real Madrid struggled in the group phase and needed a controversial penalty shootout to overcome neighbours Atletico in the last round, there’s no denying the aura of a side with a glittering history and squad packed with individual quality.

“That’s the history and they have earned that because of the mindset that they have,” said Arteta.

“So you can’t ignore that, that’s a fact. I don’t want to talk about it because we all know about it, so let’s talk about what we have to build and what we have to do, and how we can feel inspired by these occasions and look at what we do.

“And the fact that they haven’t been successful all the time, because it’s impossible – so from 20 times, maybe you win five, that means that you haven’t won the rest of the 15, so it’s very difficult to do it.

“We’re in a position that we have competed against any team in the last two years that we have faced, so we can do it again.

“With the individual qualities that they have, especially when you put them in certain situations, you know the danger that you are facing. But that’s the stage, it doesn’t get much bigger than that.

“What they’ve been doing in this competition is they can create those moments, and when it comes to the biggest stage, individual performance of players can decide a game and are critical for your success, and that’s something that we have to prevent.”

Whatever happens over the two legs, it’s a testament to the work Arteta has done that Arsenal are here at all – not just back in the Champions League, but with genuine belief they can go toe-to-toe with the competition’s most decorated side.

We’ve waited years for nights like this. Now comes the hard part: taking the opportunity and turning it into something lasting – a result, a moment, a memory – to carry this team another step along its journey.

Back in 2006, it was Thierry Henry’s brilliance and an unforgettable Jens Lehmann save that proved it can be done against Madrid. Now we wait to see if new heroes are ready to write their own chapter.