Arsenal 'deserve to win the Champions League' as Gabriel Martinelli teases new contract

says "deserve" to win the ahead of their semi-final with Paris Saint-Germain. The match presents Mikel Arteta with a golden opportunity to turn a lacklustre season into one for the history books. Arsenal will compete in their first Champions League semi-final in 16 years, and despite their domestic triumphs, they've been notable underperformers on the European stage.

That's precisely why Gunners winger Martinelli sees this as a colossal chance for the current squad to etch their names into the annals of Arsenal history. Martinelli said: "It's the biggest game of my life. Since I was five or six years old, it's been a dream. We deserve to be here and we are ready.

"It's an opportunity for our lives. Everyone who loves football wants to play in these games. We have to enjoy the moment and be ready.

"We deserve to be here, we deserve to win something for one of the great clubs in Europe. We have an amazing opportunity and we will go into the game believing we can do it. We have this dream, the club has never won the title and we deserve it because we are one of the greatest clubs in the world."

Arsenal had been tipped to step up and claim the Premier League crown this season, especially when Manchester City showed signs of vulnerability.

However, despite maintaining their position in second place, Arsenal's performance in the league has been largely disappointing. The summer transfer window hasn't delivered as expected, with inconsistency plaguing the team and leaving them short of expectations.

Arsenal have been sensational in Europe though, ousting Real Madrid in the previous round with Martinelli netting a goal at the Bernabeu. This has bolstered an incredible streak: Arsenal have never lost a match when Martinelli has scored, and he's hit the back of the net 50 times for the club.

Martinelli is eager to keep this record going but vowed: "If I need to run 15km, I don't score and we win the Champions League then I will still be the happiest man in the world.

"I try to give my best for the team. I don't think about that record but I know about it. When we play against Vini and Rodrygo, I know the players need a little help so me and B (Bukayo Saka) try to help Jurrien (Timber) and Myles (Lewis-Skelly) and work hard for the team.

"We have a huge respect for PSG, we have watched them. We've got an amazing team as well, amazing supporters who will be behind us.

"We play for Arsenal, it's one of the biggest and best clubs in the world so we are used to it. We are a big club so we need the best players."

The 23-year-old forward has two years remaining on his contract and has hinted he'd love to sign a new contract. He said: "It's been an amazing journey for me, I've improved a lot and when I got here we were playing in the Europa League and now we are in the semi-final of the Champions League.

"I'm really happy here, this is my home, I love the club and the club has given me so much not just on the pitch but off the pitch as well.

"The people who work at the club, they have been amazing for me. Everyone has to have their dreams, when I was in Brazil, I knew it could be real, I knew it could be possible and be the best I could be."