The clash between Arsenal and PSG is the best that the Champions League semifinals have to offer at the moment. In terms of play, both teams have shone in this edition of the competition, excelling in many areas.
The Gunners, in addition to doing very well in the group stage, left everyone speechless by taking down Real Madrid in the quarterfinals: two performances of enormous character by Mikel Arteta’s men, who were able to overwhelm Carlo Ancelotti’s Blancos 3-0 and go on to win at the Bernabeu, despite any stage fright.
PSG, on the other hand, achieved their feat in the round of 16, eliminating the team that had collected the most points in the maxi-group, Liverpool. Luis Enrique’s men did so by dominating the game and possession, turning everything around after losing – undeservedly – the first leg in Paris: from a team that was able to impose itself at a stadium like Anfield, in a season in which the Reds won the Premier League with ease, you can really expect anything. The Parisians, as usual unrivaled at home (Ligue 1 won with six games to spare), have grown exponentially since January and, now more than ever, give the impression of being ready to win a trophy they have dreamed of and coveted for over a decade.
Arsenal-PSG, Timber and Lewis-Skelly at risk of yellow cards
At the Emirates Stadium, we expect a high-intensity and fairly balanced match between two teams in great form who, despite their substantial differences, play great football.
PSG will almost certainly do better than in their last meeting, which took place in the group stage. On that occasion, the French side lost 2-0 to the Gunners in a match where Arsenal’s cynicism made the difference.
Luis Enrique is dreaming of revenge, with the aim of returning to Paris with a positive result. The feeling is that the tension will be palpable. And if last October there were only two yellow cards—Fabian Ruiz of PSG and Calafiori of Arsenal, both for protests—this time the referee could show a few more. The French champions will mainly exploit the wings to hurt the Gunners and ‘open up’ their rock-solid defense: Arteta’s two full-backs, Timber and Lewis-Skelly, both very foul-prone (the Dutchman has been booked seven times in the league), are likely to end up in the referee’s notebook. It won’t be easy for them to contain Kvaratskhelia and either Doué or Barcola. For PSG, on the other hand, Nuno Mendes will have to keep an eye on the lightning-fast Saka, and Joao Neves, the Ligue 1 tackle leader.