How Arsenal plan to get Emirates rocking for Atletico Madrid showdown in Champions League | OneFootball

Gunners fans set to play their part ahead of crunch semi-final second-leg decider in north London

After a 1-1 draw in Spain last week, Arsenal have home advantage in the second leg of the semi-final tie.

The Gunners have the chance to reach the Champions League final for just the second time in the club's history and it makes tonight the biggest match the Emirates has hosted since Arsenal moved in two decades ago.

"I can't wait," Mikel Arteta said on Monday. "I feel the energy in and amongst the team, our supporters. So this is the moment that we want to live together. We have a lot of work as a club, as a team, after 20 years to be in this position again.

The club have worked with supporter group REDaction Gooners to further help create a bouncing atmosphere inside and outside the stadium.

A 'Greet the Team' event is planned ahead of kick-off. Supporters have been encouraged to welcome the Arsenal squad to the stadium.

Stepping up their game: Arsenal fans will produce an even bigger tifo ahead of the showdown with Atletico Madrid

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Fans are expected to line up in their thousands on Hornsey Road and Benwell Road, with the two Arsenal coaches travelling along that route and in front of The Armoury.

Arsenal supporters have been told to gather from around 5.45pm and the team coaches are set to arrive before 6.30pm.

The flowers and memorials on Bear Roundabout were removed on Tuesday morning and will be stored elsewhere before they are returned on Wednesday morning.

That is to make space for the Ashburton Army, who are expected to have a drummer on that roundabout.

REDaction have urged fans to get to the stadium early to be involved and those without tickets to the match are also encouraged to attend.

Those with tickets will then see first-hand a huge tifo that is planned for around 7.45pm.

That will be displayed from the East Stand and will be larger than the previous tifos that have been seen in the North Bank.

It will be a significant improvement on the tifo seen ahead of the Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain last season.

The club simply used a large red flag featuring the club's cannon emblem in white.

This time, the design is said to reference Arteta's comments earlier this season after the defeat by Manchester United, when he urged supporters to "jump on this boat".

"That's why I encouraged them to jump in this boat because it's going to be fun," Arteta said when asked about an anxious home crowd.

"Because out of that a lot of incredible things are going to emerge. Some of the things that we cannot even imagine. For me, that's the only way to live it because we're going to give absolutely everything."