LONDON — Declan Rice has urged Arsenal to embrace the weight of history in its chase for a first Champions League crown ahead of Wednesday's semifinal trip to Atletico Madrid.

The Gunners travel to the Spanish capital for the first leg looking to move a step closer to only their second Champions League final appearance.

Mikel Arteta's side has been labeled English soccer's nearly men after three successive runner-up finishes in the Premier League.

It has fallen short in Europe as well, losing 3-1 on aggregate to eventual winner Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semifinals last season and bowing out against Bayern Munich in the 2024 quarterfinals.

Arsenal has never won Europe's elite club competition, with its lone final ending in defeat to Barcelona in 2006.

The Premier League has become the London club's holy grail after its painful streak of near-misses in recent years.

But lifting the Champions League for the first time would be an equally fitting riposte to those doubting the mental strength of Arteta's men.

Just seven games separate Arsenal from the club's greatest ever season.

It sits three points clear of second-placed Manchester City in the Premier League title race, with four matches to play and five for Pep Guardiola's men.

Three games remain in the Champions League if Arsenal reaches the final against PSG or Bayern in Budapest on May 30.

Rice wants his teammates to prove their experiences have made them battle-hardened for their pursuit of history.

"We've played in tough games in the last three or four years at the highest level, so we know what to expect and what's to come," the midfielder said.

"That's what it's been all season, and that's what we want it to be towards the end of the season.

"We're Champions League semifinalists, let's embrace it, enjoy it and bring it on."

Havertz, Eze doubts

After losing two high-stakes showdowns with City recently — a 2-0 League Cup final defeat and 2-1 loss in the Premier League — the jury remains out on Arsenal's ability to get over the line when it matters most.

A fraught 1-0 win over Newcastle on Saturday was hardly a convincing response to the cynics.

It did, however, end a two-game losing run in the league and eased a little of the pressure after four defeats in its previous six matches across all competitions.

Arsenal, though, is left to sweat on the fitness of Eberechi Eze and Kai Havertz for the trip to Madrid, after they limped off against Newcastle.

Eze had taken his goal tally for the season to 10 with a sublime strike against the Magpies.

The England midfielder has been a rare source of attacking inspiration in a side that has built its success on a solid defensive foundation.

And Rice is desperate for Eze to be fit to face Diego Simeone's side.

"That's what he's been brought here to do," Rice said of his international teammate who made the switch to Arsenal from Crystal Palace last summer. "I said a few weeks ago, his ball striking is unbelievable.

"What a player, what a guy. He's going to be massive for us these next few weeks. We really need him."

AFP