With the Premier League title now looking out of reach, Arsenal may turn all of their attention towards the Champions League instead.
A fantastic 9-3 aggregate win saw Arsenal beat PSV to advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League before the international break, setting up a clash with the competition holders Real Madrid after their controversial penalty shootout victory against Atletico Madrid. The Gunners have never won the Champions League, so doing so this season would be an incredible achievement for Mikel Arteta's side.
So, how could Arteta's side perform in the Champions League this season? This is what happened...
Arsenal's Champions League run-in simulated
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2024 editor to update the game with the latest results, fixtures and standings. We then simulated until the end of the season to see how FM24 predicts the Champions League will play out, including Arsenal's hopes of winning the competition for the first time.
Champions League quarter-finals
In their first leg against Real Madrid, Arsenal won 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium, with Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice both getting on the scoresheet as they took a lead into the second leg in Madrid. The Champions League holders won 2-1 at the Bernabeu thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, with the clash going to penalties after a 3-3 aggregate draw.
David Raya saved his first two penalties as Arsenal rushed into a 2-0 lead, and despite Martin Odegaard's effort being saved, Arsenal emerged winners in the shootout to advance to the semi-finals.
In the other ties, Paris Saint-Germain beat Aston Villa 5-3 on aggregate, Barcelona beat Borussia Dortmund 4-1 on aggregate, and Inter beat Bayern Munich 2-1 on aggregate.
Champions League semi-finals
Arsenal took on Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals, with the Gunners having already beaten the French side in the Champions League league phase earlier this season. This time round it was different, with PSG looking much improved and picking up a 2-1 win at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg.
Ousmane Dembele scored both goals in north London, and the Frenchman opened the scoring again in the second leg to send PSG into a two-goal lead on aggregate. Bukayo Saka scored in the 75th minute to hand the Gunners some hope, but it wasn't to be as Arteta's side was knocked out in the semi-finals, losing 3-2 on aggregate.
In the other semi-final, Barcelona beat Inter 4-3 on aggregate, setting up a clash between the Spanish and French sides in the final.
Champions League Final
A brilliant Champions League final unfolded in the simulation, with Barcelona beating PSG 3-1 to lift the European Cup for the first time since 2015. Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Robert Lewandowski all got on the scoresheet for Hansi Flick's side, with Bradley Barcola scoring late on to at least get his side on the scoresheet.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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