Arsenal can do something this week that they’ve literally never done in their entire history

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Arsenal have the opportunity to achieve something they never have before this week.

The Gunners sit pretty at the top of the Premier League table, and many are now tipping them to lift the elusive piece of silverware come May.

Mikel Arteta’s team eased past Fulham on Saturday evening, courtesy of a 58th-minute strike from Leandro Trossard.

While things are going according to plan domestically, attention now turns to European competition, as Arsenal host Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

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Arsenal can beat Atletico Madrid for the first time on Tuesday

Arsenal beat Olympiacos in their last League Phase game in Europe, and will be hoping to make it three wins from three in the competition this term.

They’ll also be hoping to get revenge on Diego Simeone’s team, who broke Arsene Wenger’s heart in 2018 in a Europa League semi-final tie.

The Frenchman had announced that he would be leaving the Emirates at the end of the 2017/18 campaign, and was hoping for a fairytale ending by bringing European silverware to N5.

Unfortunately for Wenger and the Gunners, Atletico knocked Arsenal out of the competition 2-1 on aggregate, leaving the legendary manager crestfallen.

This is all Arteta will be able to turn to when looking for some needle between the two clubs to motivate his players ahead of Tuesday’s clash.

This Europa League tie was the only time Arsenal have ever played Atletico Madrid in competitive matches.

The Gunners drew the first leg 1-1, before losing the second leg at the Metropolitano 1-0. This means that the North London outfit have never beaten Atletico Madrid.

Tuesday’s encounter in Islington gives Arteta’s side a perfect opportunity to break this hoodoo.

Arsenal did play Atletico Madrid in pre-season in 2018

Just two months after Simeone’s side destroyed Arsenal’s Europa League dreams, the Gunners did face Atletico in a pre-season clash in Singapore.

However, they still weren’t able to beat the Argentine’s team.

In what was Unai Emery’s second game in charge of the Gunners, Emile Smith Rowe scored an outstanding equaliser which cancelled out Luciano Vietto’s opener.

The game went to penalties, and Atletico came out on top. Goalkeeper Antonio Adan prevented Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Joe Willock and Eddie Nketiah from finding the back of the net from 12 yards.

This was the last meeting in any capacity between the two sides, who have consistently managed to avoid each other in European competition, while never matching up in pre-season either.