Arsenal return to the scene of their Champions League heartbreak nearly two decades ago to take on Paris Saint-Germain.
On Wednesday, the Gunners travel to the French capital for the second leg of their semi-final, hoping to overturn a narrow deficit.
Ousmane Dembele, who is a strong candidate for the Ballon d’Or, was the difference between both sides in the first leg.
He netted an early goal to give PSG a slender advantage. Arsenal need to defy the odds and rewrite history to book their place in the Champions League final in Munich.
Only two teams in Champions League history have managed to come back from a home defeat in a semi-final. With a place in the final up for grabs, Arsenal must become the third.
UEFA Champions League final tickets are already selling out on Seatsnet.com. All that remains is for one of these teams to punch their ticket to the showpiece event in Munich.
Match Preview
PSG came one step closer to a place in the Champions League final after a disciplined and clinical display earned them a 1-0 first-leg win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
While much of the pre-match talk centred on Mikel Arteta’s side and their rising European credentials, it was Luis Enrique’s team who made the noise where it mattered – on the pitch.
The opening stages saw Arsenal caught cold, and within just four minutes, Dembele fired PSG ahead with a composed finish.
The Frenchman’s strike not only stunned the North London crowd into silence but brought him level with Kylian Mbappe for the most Champions League goal contributions by a PSG player in a single season.
Despite Arsenal’s high energy and emotional build-up, which included dramatic promotional videos and a bold tifo display, they failed to land any real punches.
By contrast, PSG were composed and purposeful. Mikel Merino briefly thought he had levelled for the hosts, but his goal was ruled out, denying Arsenal the spark they desperately needed.
Now trailing 1-0, the Gunners face a daunting task in Paris.
PSG’s history offers them confidence. They have only once been knocked out of a European knockout tie after winning the first leg away. That was against Manchester United in 2019.
However, Enrique will know that history alone won’t win the return leg, especially given PSG’s recent inconsistency.
At the weekend, the Ligue 1 giants stumbled to a 2-1 defeat against Champions League hopefuls RC Strasbourg.
It was their third loss in six matches (W2, D1), although Enrique fielded a second-string line-up, having already wrapped up the Ligue 1 title.
The same can’t be said for Arsenal. Arteta fielded a near-full-strength team against Bournemouth but ended up throwing away a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 at the Emirates.
PSG are favourites heading into the second leg and will have their eyes on one of Barcelona or Inter Milan in the Munich showpiece.
Arsenal still have a fighting chance, but they’d need to produce something far more incisive and resilient than what they showed at home.
While PSG rested key players and still managed to find the net in a 2-1 league defeat of their own, Arsenal’s loss came with many of their top stars on the pitch.
Declan Rice gave the Gunners an early advantage with a composed run and finish, but they couldn’t see it out.
For the tenth time this season – an unwanted club record – Arsenal failed to hold onto a Premier League lead.
Dean Huijsen levelled with a powerful header, and Evanilson sealed the turnaround for Bournemouth with a scrappy effort that appeared to brush his arm on the way in.
VAR had a look, but the goal stood. Controversy aside, Arsenal could hardly complain, given their limp attacking display and defensive frailty.
The defeat drew Arteta’s men back into the top-five race, although they’re still on course to qualify for the Champions League.
Nevertheless, losing to Bournemouth ahead of their trip to France has sent alarm bells ringing, and the odds are firmly stacked against Arsenal.
Only two teams have ever advanced from a Champions League semi-final after losing the first leg at home (Ajax in 1996 and Tottenham Hotspur in 2019). There is a glimmer of hope for Arteta’s side.
The Gunners are unbeaten in seven away matches across all competitions, winning their last four in Europe while scoring at least twice each time.
Their dramatic 2-1 victory at Santiago Bernabeu in the quarter-finals remains fresh in the memory and offers a blueprint for belief.
However, PSG have hit an eye-watering 14 goals in their last three Champions League home games.
Arsenal will need to be near-perfect in Paris to stand a chance.
A season that once promised so much is now teetering. The next 90 minutes in the French capital will define whether Arsenal’s campaign ends in triumph or another chapter of European regret.
Team News
Dembele strained his hamstring in the first leg against Arsenal. He has made a steady recovery since then, but PSG are still sweating over his fitness ahead of the tie-decider.
Fans will buy Champions League tickets hoping to see him in action, but if he’s not fit enough to start, the burden of leading the line will fall on Goncalo Ramos’ shoulders.
The Portuguese striker struck the post in the first leg and will be hoping to do better on home turf.
Playmaker Lee Kang-in is also a doubt after picking up a knock against Strasbourg.
For Arsenal, Thomas Partey returns from suspension and is set to partner Declan Rice and captain Martin Odegaard, who took a minor knock at the weekend. Jurrien Timber faces a late fitness test.
The Gunners are still without Jorginho, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Riccardo Calafiori, with the latter’s knee issue taking longer than anticipated to heal.
Paris Saint-Germain potential starting line-up:
(4-3-3): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, William Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Joao Neves; Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Arsenal potential starting line-up:
(4-3-3): David Raya; Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Jakub Kiwior, Myles Lewis-Skelly; Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino, Gabriel Martinelli.
