Mikel Arteta insists Arsenal’s Champions League history is irrelevant and challenged his side to prove they belong at the tournament’s business end as they prepare to face Porto in the last 16.
The Gunners are back in Europe’s elite club competition for the first time in seven years but have failed to progress past this stage since 2010.
Arsenal will be firm favourites at the Estadio do Dragao on Wednesday night as Arteta looks to go further in the Champions League than he ever managed as a player at the club.
“They (the players) know that we have not been in the competition for seven years,” the Spaniard said.
“Obviously some of them were here and they know the story and they know that what happened in the past is irrelevant, it is the challenge and ambition that we have now to go through.”
Asked if he felt it was a mental block that caused Arsene Wenger’s side to fall at the last-16 hurdle so many times, Arteta replied: “Someone called (Lionel) Messi was another obstacle as well!
“And Bayern Munich that we faced twice. This competition is what it is. Individual quality is extremely important. It comes down to details and you need your players at your best when the occasion arises.”
Arteta’s young squad had very little Champions League experience heading into a group stage they dominated, winning four games and progressing as winners with a fixture to spare.
Now the knockout stages present another chance for both manager and team to prove they belong at this level.
“We don’t have the experience, that’s the reality – 95 per cent of these players haven’t played this competition, they haven’t played the last 16.
“I haven’t (managed at this stage). But they have so much energy and enthusiasm to play well and that’s our desire and how we’re going to play the game.
“It’s great. We have earned the right to be here. It’s been seven years since we’ve been at the top table for these kind of matches and 14 years since we were able to go to the next stage.
“That’s the challenge. We know what is ahead of us, but we are very excited to face it and to go for it with full belief, that’s for sure.”
An extra incentive for Arsenal to banish past ghosts is the prospect of going all the way to just their second Champions League final, with Wembley playing host to the showpiece event this year.
“It should be incredible to have that feeling to lift that cup, in London, the first of June. It is there,” added Arteta.
“It is in our minds. It is a dream, but there are a lot of things you have to earn the right to do before that and tomorrow we have a big obstacle ahead of us. We are really looking forward to it.”
Eidevall targeting 'full-throttle' approach against Bayern in the Champions League
Jonas Eidevall says Arsenal are going to take a "full throttle" approach as they look to begin the Champions League on a high against Bayern Munich.
Arsenal survived a scare to qualify for the group stage of the competition, coming from behind after a first-leg loss to Hacken to win 4-1 on aggregate.
Having missed out on qualification last year, the Gunners make a return to the Champions League in a group that also includes Juventus and Norwegian side Valerenga.
Arsenal did meet Bayern the last time they played in the tournament, with Eidevall's side turning around a deficit to progress to the semi-finals with a 2-1 victory.
The Swede is relishing the test ahead of them on Wednesday and plans to push his team just as hard in the Champions League as he does in the Women's Super League.
"For me, the Champions League is very special," Eidevall said when asked where the European competition ranks in his priorities.
"We are in four competitions, but the Champions League and the league will always be very special to me and to the team.
"Right now, we are in a situation where we need to go full-throttle in both of them."
In the WSL, the Gunners are unbeaten, though they have won just one of their three matches so far, and were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw against Everton last time out.
Arsenal had 21 shots in that game, but only managed five on target, as they accumulated 0.74 expected goals, also hitting the post.
They have scored just three goals in the league this season and will come up against a free-flowing Bayern, who have scored 18 times in their opening five Frauen-Bundesliga matches.
While Eidevall was frustrated by their lack of a clinical edge against the Toffees, he hopes they can continue their staunch defensive play.
"[Looking at the defence] is the positive way to look at it," added Eidevall. "We are putting such high standards on ourselves, and we are so demanding on ourselves.
"When something is not working that becomes the focus, but defensively against Everton we played a very solid game, we were pressing really well.
"[Bayern] are really strong in counter-attacking. They move with a lot of paces and that part you have to look out for. They are looking really strong on their set-pieces so far this season.
"They are well-organised; they are a good team, but so are we. While they have strengths, they also have weaknesses, and we need to exploit them."
Maguire out for 'a few weeks' as Man Utd injury list grows
Harry Maguire has confirmed he will be sidelined for "a few weeks" after sustaining an injury against Aston Villa.
The centre-back went down holding his calf in the first half of Manchester United's 0-0 draw on Sunday and was substituted at half-time, before he was seen leaving Villa Park in a protective boot.
He has made nine appearances for United so far this season, coming off the bench to score the equaliser in their 3-3 Europa League draw with Porto prior to Sunday’s game.
"Frustrated to pick up an injury at the weekend, will be a few weeks on the sidelines for me, but I'll come back stronger," Maguire posted on Instagram.
He joins Noussair Mazraoui, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo on United's injury list, with the trio all pulling out of their respective international squads after sustaining issues in that game.
Ten Hag doing 'a brilliant job' at Man Utd despite pressure, says Moyes
Former Manchester United manager David Moyes believes Erik ten Hag is doing a "brilliant job" at the club despite the Dutchman coming under pressure.
United have made their worst-ever start to a Premier League campaign in history, taking just eight points from their seven games so far, and sit in 14th.
It is their lowest tally at this stage of a league campaign since 1989-90 (seven) when they finished 13th in the top-flight.
They are winless in their last five games in all competitions, drawing four of those, including their opening two Europa League matches around a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils have also only netted five goals in the Premier League this term, their lowest at this stage in the competition, with only 19th-place Southampton scoring less than them.
As such, Ten Hag has come under pressure once again, with some reports suggesting the club are lining up potential replacements, though the manager insists he has the backing of the club's hierarchy.
However, Moyes, who managed the club between July 2014 and April 2014, believes the 54-year-old is handling the scrutiny well.
"It's really difficult, but when you go into a job like that, it's always going to be like that," Moyes told BBC Sport.
"I think [Ten Hag] has showed brilliant resilience in the situation he is in. He should be credited for how well he has conducted himself.
"I don't see him ducking any questions or any media interviews, so I think you have to give him great credit for that.
"But it's a job which is going to attract immense pressure and have an immense amount of people talking.
"I think he is doing a brilliant job."
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