Two football giants are set to clash on Tuesday evening at the Emirates Stadium, as Arsenal takes on Paris Saint-Germain in a highly anticipated match for the elusive Champions League title.
Arsenal managed to secure a point against Atalanta BC in their opening match, while PSG had a narrow 1-0 win over Girona, which they were grateful for.
Arsenal's goalkeeper, David Raya, recently made headlines with an incredible save against Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa—arguably the best of his career. But just weeks later, he surpassed that feat with a stunning double save against Mateo Retegui’s penalty in Bergamo, helping Arsenal hold the Europa League winners to a goalless draw. However, they missed their key playmaker, Martin Ødegaard, in that match.
Keeping a clean sheet against a team that dominated Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen last season was no small achievement. Currently, Arsenal sits in 16th place in the Champions League standings with just one point, but it's early days in the tournament.
Despite conceding two goals to Leicester City's James Justin over the weekend, Arsenal came back to win 4-2 against the Foxes, leveling their points with a Rodri-less Manchester City.
They’ve yet to lose this season and have scored 11 goals in their last three matches. However, they’ll need to break a streak of two Champions League games without scoring to avoid an unwanted club record.
On the other side, PSG, managed by Luis Enrique, faced their own challenges in their last Champions League match against Girona, but a late mistake by the opposing goalkeeper handed them the win.
Recently, they’ve been in fine form, with a 3-1 victory over Rennes bringing their Ligue 1 wins to five out of six matches. They currently lead Monaco on goal difference.
This match at the Emirates is a reunion for Arsenal and PSG, who last faced each other in the Champions League group stage eight years ago, with both matches ending in draws. Historically, Arsenal edged PSG in the 1993-94 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals, securing their only European trophy to date.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Arsenal will be without five long-term absentees for Tuesday's match: Martin Ødegaard (ankle), Mikel Merino (shoulder), Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf), Kieran Tierney (hamstring), and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee). There’s a slim chance Merino could return for the weekend’s Premier League game against Southampton.
Mikel Arteta is also concerned about Ben White, who has missed the last two matches due to a knee issue. This means Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber—both just returning from injuries might need to step up.
In a recent match against Leicester, Bukayo Saka was denied the chance to break a record for assisting in six consecutive Premier League games because Arsenal's third goal was ruled an own goal by Wilfred Ndidi.
However, Saka has still made a significant impact in the Champions League, contributing to seven goals in five home matches—more than any other Arsenal player in their first five games in the competition.Both Arteta and PSG manager Luis Enrique can relate to each other’s injury struggles. The French champions are also missing key players, including Goncalo Ramos (ankle), Lucas Hernandez (knee), Presnel Kimpembe (Achilles), Marco Asensio (muscle), and Desire Doue (ankle).
Their starting goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, has been sidelined with a thigh issue and remains a doubt for the trip to London, along with Nuno Mendes (illness) and Vitinha (ankle).
After Randal Kolo Muani struggled against Girona, Lee Kang-in started up front and scored PSG’s second goal against Rennes. However, Kolo Muani could pose a more significant physical challenge for Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Havertz, Partey, Rice; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Safonov; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Ruiz, Neves, Zaire-Emery; Dembele, Kolo Muani, Barcola
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
Arsenal 1-1 Paris Saint Germain
Injuries to key players have affected the gunners in the last couple of games and we feel that Paris Saint Germain can take full advantage of that. Mikel Arteta's men have estbalished a strong home record but Paris Saint Germain has the quality to get something out of this game.
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