How many times have Arsenal reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals and final? Gunners'knockout history ahead of Real Madrid quarter-final

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Arsenal are set to take on Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, with the hope of dispatching the 15-time winners and holders to make their first semi-final in the competition in 16 years. But how many times have Arsenal reached the competition's last four? And have they ever made it to the Champions League final? Here's everything you need to know.

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Arsenal are set to kick off their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg against 15-time winners and holders Real Madrid on Tuesday.

The Gunners, who welcome the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham to Emirates Stadium, are hoping to progress to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in over a decade.

Mikel Arteta will hope to draw inspiration from the last meeting between the two sides, when Thierry Henry inspired a 1-0 aggregate win as The Gunners made their way to the 2006 Champions League final.

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With that in mind, how many times have Arsenal reached the last four and final of Europe’s premier competition?

How many times have Arsenal reached the UEFA Champions League semi-final?

Arsenal have only reached the Champions League semi-finals twice in their history, with both occasions coming under Arsene Wenger’s stewardship in the 2000s.

After beating Real Madrid to start their 2006 knockout stage, Arsenal then went on to defeat another star-studded team in Juventus, winning 2-0 on aggregate.

The Gunners took on a Villarreal side boasting Diego Forlan, Juan Roman Riquelme and a young Santi Cazorla in the semi-final.

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Arsenal claimed a 1-0 first-leg lead courtesy of a rare Kolo Toure goal, before an attritional second leg saw Jens Lehmann dramatically save a last-minute Riquelme spot-kick to take The Gunners to the final with a 1-0 aggregate win.

The second time Arsenal reached the semi-finals was in 2009, when they lost 4-1 on aggregate to domestic rivals Manchester United.

The Gunners reached the last four after a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Roma in the round-of-16 and a 4-1 aggregate victory over Villarreal in the quarter-final.

But Wenger's side subsequently went out of the competition with a whimper, falling to a narrow 1-0 defeat in the semi-final first leg at Old Trafford through a John O'Shea goal before being thoroughly beaten in the second.

The return fixture at the Emirates saw a clinical United claim an 11th-minute lead through Park Ji-sung before Cristiano Ronaldo added a second from an outrageous free-kick.

Ronaldo rubbed further salt in the wounds with a third goal just after the hour, before Robin van Persie scored a late consolation from the spot.

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How many times have Arsenal reached the UEFA Champions League final?

The North Londoners have only reached the Champions League final on one occasion.

After beating Villarreal in the semi-finals, the north Londoners went on to lose the 2006 Champions League final to Barcelona in Paris.

The first half of the encounter saw Jens Lehmann become the first player to be sent off in a European Cup final after he brought down Samuel Eto'o outside the Arsenal box.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, The Gunners took a first-half lead through Sol Campbell.

After an hour, however, Henrik Larsson came on for the Catalan giants, and played a part in both goals, as Eto’o equalised and Juliano Belletti netted a winner.

It was Barcelona's second triumph in the competition and their first in 14 years.

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