Bergkamp relishing European away day

Dennis Bergkamp is relishing the prospect of his first away Champions League tie for more than a year as Arsenal take on Chelsea in their quarter-final tie on Wednesday night.

Bergkamp, who does not fly, has already won the UEFA Cup twice and the Cup Winners’ Cup once during his spells with Ajax and Inter Milan.

However, although the 34-year-old Dutchman may still be after a final year’s contract at Highbury, this could be his best ever – indeed possibly last - chance of lifting European football’s greatest club prize.

“If you think back to the beginning of the season, about what you want to achieve and where you would like to be at this stage, then this is exactly where we would want to be,” he said.

“If you remember that we also reached the semi-finals of the Carling Cup, then it has been a good season for us so far.

“We don’t want to throw it all away though. We are well aware that it’s all about what happens now and so far we have done well, but we haven’t won anything yet.”

Bergkamp’s potential participation in Wednesday’s first leg tie at Stamford Bridge is a major bonus for Arsenal, especially given the superb recent form of the Dutchman.

Jose Reyes is another option following his superb double against Chelsea in his side’s FA Cup fifth round victory but Bergkamp offers a stamp of class, authority and experience in the side that is often sorely missed on their European travels.

After all, his last appearance in a Champions League tie was in February last year, when Arsenal drew 0-0 against Ajax, while he also appeared in their 4-0 win at PSV Eindhoven earlier that season.

Trips to Moscow, Kiev, Milan and Vigo have been beyond his reach so far this season, although a semi-final against Monaco – if not Real Madrid – could be a possibility.

A few miles across the capital is nevertheless perfect for Bergkamp although he admitted it would still feel “strange to play a European away game in London“.

He told Arsenal’s official programme: “We have done so well against Chelsea recently that I’m sure we’ll be favourites and that could put us in a difficult position.

“I would say it’s similar to the FA Cup though. If you want to go all the way you have to beat the big teams and this will be another difficult tie, but we know we have a chance.”

An FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United is also coming up, inevitably reviving memories of Bergkamp’s late saved penalty in the 1999 Villa Park replay.

After all, if the Dutchman had not been denied by Peter Schmeichel, Ryan Giggs would never have scored his incredible winner and United would not have won the treble.

However, he insisted: “This is another game. We have experienced a lot in the FA Cup since 1999.

We have won it twice and been in three finals, so we treat it with a lot of respect.

“We have proved a lot in the last three years so we don’t need to look back on the last semi-final against Manchester United.

“Okay, if we hadn’t reached a final since then and we had this one chance five years later, then yes, you would want to put that defeat behind us.

“But because we’ve been there three times since then it’s all in the past, it’s behind us.”

If Arsenal do reach this season’s final for the fourth consecutive season, then Bergkamp can only hope it will not be his final game for the club.

Either they will have qualified for the Champions League final or he will be granted the extension to his contract that he will be seeking in the summer.

“I’m still enjoying it and proud to be part of this team. I’m very happy at the moment,” he said.

“I’ve made it clear that I would like to stay for another year. I don’t know the thoughts of the club and there hasn’t been any talk about it yet, but to be honest, I’m just thinking about my football at the moment.”

He certainly has enough to concentrate on – starting on Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge.