Mikel Arteta said Arsenal felt the weight of history but urged his players to "live" as they try to reach the Champions League final.

The Gunners have never won Europe's premier club matches, and Tuesday's semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain was their first appearance since 2009 and their third ever.

"You feel this, especially because, fortunately, we have a lot of people who have worked in the club for many years and they have never held the position," Arteta said. "So, tell you how unique and beautiful it is. It's the best competition for any European club.

“We never did it, so we need to win the right to make it to the finals and everything will start tomorrow.”

Asked how best to direct that desire to break the new ground, Arteta continued: “It’s a moment, ‘Well, that’s who we are, that’s who we are, that’s who we are as a team, that’s who we are, that’s who we are, that’s who we are, that’s who we are, that’s who we are, that’s who we are, that’s who we are, and that’s what I can to put the best of my work into practice.’

“Play that mentality and let yourself go.

"Living now now. That's where we are. We're lucky. We have put a lot of place in it. We make money with work and passion because we have a lot of challenges and we are facing the highest level of competition for ten months.

Arsenal will not have Thomas Party in the second leg of the midfielder's Real Madrid against Santiago Bernabeu in the quarter-finals. It was the only negative number of an amazing night, with the Gunners winning 2-1 that night for a 5-1 overall victory, and Arteta said his players will draw inspiration from that night.

"I think going to Bernabeu is probably your biggest test as a European team because of history, due to recent history and a lot of things that have happened," Arteta said. "I think we're really, really good. I think it brings confidence and experience to a team that most of us have never had."

Both Ben White and Mikel Merino trained in London Colney earlier in the day, but Riccardo Calafiori missed the knee-bending problem. With no party, Merino is expected to return to the traditional midfield role, while Leandro Trossard is included in the frontline.