'Bring it on', says Rice as Arsenal chase Champions League history
Declan Rice has called on Arsenal to embrace the challenge as they aim for their first Champions League final since 2006, starting with the semi-final first leg against Atletico Madrid. The Gunners, chasing a historic season, are also in contention for the Premier League title, currently holding a three-point lead over Manchester City. Despite recent setbacks and fitness concerns over Kai Havertz and Eberechi Eze, Rice expressed confidence in the team's experience and resilience. Arsenal have never won the Champions League, with their only final appearance ending in a loss to Barcelona 20 years ago.
- ▪Arsenal face Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, seeking their first final appearance since 2006.
- ▪Declan Rice urged his teammates to embrace the pressure and use their past high-level experience to chase history.
- ▪Arsenal lead the Premier League by three points over Manchester City with four games remaining.
- ▪Kai Havertz and Eberechi Eze are fitness doubts ahead of the trip to Madrid after injuries in the win over Newcastle.
- ▪The club has never won the Champions League, having lost the 2006 final to Barcelona.
Full article excerpt tap to expand
{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/bring-says-rice-arsenal-chase-052853620.html","headline":"'Bring it on', says Rice as Arsenal chase Champions League history","datePublished":"2026-04-28T05:28:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-28T05:28:53.000Z","keywords":["Premier League","Champions League","Arsenal","Declan Rice","Mikel Arteta","The Gunners","Atletico Madrid","Eze","Bayern Munich","Paris Saint-Germain","Havertz","Manchester City","Barcelona"],"description":"Declan Rice has urged Arsenal to embrace the weight of history in their chase for a first Champions League crown ahead of Wednesday's semi-final trip to...","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Yahoo Sports","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/icons/favicon_y112_112.png","width":112,"height":112},"url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Steven GRIFFITHS","url":"","jobTitle":""},"creator":{"@type":"Person","name":"Steven GRIFFITHS","url":"","jobTitle":""},"provider":{"@type":"Organization","name":"AFP","url":"http://www.afp.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":248,"height":100,"url":"https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2021-03/e31acf60-80f5-11eb-9fff-18c6b7043df9"}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/e_O3G3KM8eeZDAazHhgQSQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTE1MzY7aD0xMDIyO2NmPXdlYnA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/afp.com/1a388e0d6b8568fb419d6020d3fb4ecb","height":511,"width":768},"thumbnailUrl":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/e_O3G3KM8eeZDAazHhgQSQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTE1MzY7aD0xMDIyO2NmPXdlYnA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/afp.com/1a388e0d6b8568fb419d6020d3fb4ecb"}Story by'Bring it on', says Rice as Arsenal chase Champions League historyArsenal midfielder Declan Rice (Patricia DE MELO MOREIRA) (Patricia DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP/AFP)Steven GRIFFITHSTue, April 28, 2026 at 5:28 AM UTC·3 min readDeclan Rice has urged Arsenal to embrace the weight of history in their chase for a first Champions League crown ahead of Wednesday's semi-final 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.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_63iudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: none; } @media screen and (max-width: 767.95px) { #_R_63iudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: flex; } iframe { max-width: 100vw; } }Mikel Arteta's side have been labelled English football's nearly men after three successive runners-up finishes in the Premier League.They have fallen short in Europe as well, losing 3-1 on aggregate to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals last season and bowing out against Bayern Munich in the 2024 quarter-finals.Arsenal have never won Europe's elite club competition, with their lone final ending in defeat against Barcelona in 2006.The Premier League has become the London club's holy grail after their painful streak of near-misses in recent years.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_68iudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: none; } @media screen and (max-width: 767.95px) { #_R_68iudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: flex; } iframe { max-width: 100vw; } }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.They sit three…
This excerpt is published under fair use for community discussion. Read the full article at Yahoo Sports.