Breaking Down the Champions League Semifinal Showdown Between PSG and Arsenal
Arsenal will be in for a mountain to climb after the 1-0 home defeat to PSG in the Champions League semifinal. Luis Enrique’s side, who come in as the favourites to win the competition, will have a one-goal lead as the second leg kicks off on Wednesday.
Ousmane Dembele, who scored the winner in the first leg, has also had some positive news following his injury. Moreover, with the momentum on their side and the home record this season, the Gunners will need something extraordinary to clinch their spot in the UCL Finals.
PSG winger Dembele has been training for the past two days and will be available for the second leg. As per Enrique, the French midfielder is back in the office as he’s expected to make a start. Wednesday.
Talking about the importance of confidence and several key factors from the game, PSG manager Luis Enrique said in his pre-match conference:
“We’re here because we deserve to be, we won the first game, and tomorrow’s objective is to win the second. There are a lot of potential keys, but I think we have to show the confidence that our supporters have shown us, in terms of effort and emotional intelligence. There will be details we can control. We’re going to have to stay true to the ideas we’ve had so far.
The French side will have most of their squad to serve against Arsenal. On the suspensions, Achraf Hakimi faces a risk of missing out on the final following four yellow cards this season.
PSG Predicted XI: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha, Ruiz; Doué, Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia.
Arsenal are still hopeful for their injured players to return as Mikel Arteta provided some updates. Giving insights on the squad’s travelled and Jurrien Timber’s injury situation, the Arsenal manager in his pre-game interview said:
“I will assess him today, whether he can start the game or not.”
Continuing on Riccardo Calafiori being back, he added: “Yeah, he’s travelled, and he’s fit and he’s ready to play when we need him. So that’s great news.”
Arsenal Predicted XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Merino, Martinelli.
Odds via – BetMGM
| Teams | Moneyline | Total Goals |
| PSG | Win: +120Draw: +250 | Over 2.5: -148Under 2.5: +118 |
| Arsenal | Win: +210Draw: +250 | Over 3.5: +180Under 3.5: -230 |
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