Pre-Match Report

Preview: Arsenal v PSG

Arsenal v PSG

For the first time in 16 years, Emirates Stadium hosts a men's Champions League semi-final, when Paris Saint-Germain cross the Channel on Tuesday (8pm UK) for the next chapter of our incredible European adventure.

It promises to be one of the biggest nights our home has ever seen, and there have been plenty of memorable continental nights of late. We head into the tie undefeated in our last 11 Champions League games in N5, and have kept nine clean sheets in the process - one of which was our 2-0 success against the Parisians in the league stage back in October.

Much has changed for the freshly-minted French champions since then, who like us, are dreaming of lifting the biggest prize in world club football for the first time in their history. But similarly against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, we have never lost against the French giants in five previous meetings, and extending that run on Tuesday would give u the perfect pre-Paris platform heading into the all-important second leg.


INVINCIBLE DREAM ENDS

PSG react to conceding against Nice

Despite the loss of Kylian Mbappe last summer, PSG cruised to their fourth successive Ligue 1 title with six games to play thanks to a 2-1 win against Le Havre 10 days ago. With that in the bag, the only question left was whether they could complete a first-ever undefeated French top-flight campaign, but last Friday brought a 3-1 loss at home to Lyon to taste defeat in game 31 of 34.

They're still 20 points clear of Marseille in second and on track for a famous treble as they have also reached the final of the French Cup where they will meet Reims, but while the setback against Nice was their only domestic reverse of the campaign, they haven't been firing on all cylinders in at home or abroad of late. They've won one of their last four in all competitions, which includes a fifth Champions League defeat this season despite making it into the semis.

Losses to us, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich in the league phase saw them finish in 15th spot, and while Brest were demolished 10-0 on aggregate in the play-off round, they were beaten by Liverpool in the Parc des Princes. A 1-0 win at Anfield saw them progress to the quarters on penalties, where they found themselves 5-1 up on aggregate against Aston Villa, but were left scrambling for their semi-final spot after letting a 2-0 lead turn into a 3-2 defeat.


What the managers say

Arteta: “You sense the energy, the enthusiasm, that it’s something unique. It's probably one of the biggest games that the Emirates has seen since we built it. We are making history. It’s a beautiful story right now, but we want much more. 

“We have to have the feeling that we have to hold [the players] back tomorrow to go on that pitch and express themselves. It’s a moment now to say: ‘OK, this is who we are, this is who we are as a team, this is who I am as an individual and I’m going to put my very best in there to make it happen’. Play with that mindset and let yourself go. Live the now, the present. This is where we are. We are so fortunate."

Luis Enrique

Enrique: "I saw the match [back in October] again. We're a much better team today. We had a very intense group phase, with a lot of games that could have been finals. So I think that made things difficult because we were in a difficult position, but it has made us much stronger and we are more complete.

"These are Champions League semi-finals, but they're still two games between two teams with the same goal. The key will be managing the pressure. PSG have never won the Champions League? Neither have Arsenal. We mustn't let that stop us from performing at the highest level, we have to keep that in mind but concentrate on what we have to do."


Team news

Thomas Partey

Thomas Partey is suspended for the first leg after he picked up his third yellow card of the competition in our 2-1 success at Real Madrid. Jorginho is also out after sustaining a chest injury against Brentford a fortnight ago.

Mikel Merino and Ben White missed the game against Crystal Palace last week but have both returned to training, however Riccardo Calafiori remains out of action with a knee problem, and joins Kai Havertz, Gabriel (both hamstring), Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) on the sidelines, albeit that quartet are longer-term concerns.

Incredibly at this point of the season, Enrique has a full squad to choose from. He opted to name as strong a side as possible against Nice on Friday, but withdrew Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz, Desire Doue, Marquinhos and Ousmane Dembele during the second half.

Talking tactics

Nuno Mendes celebrates scoring for PSG

Adrian Clarke, writing in the official matchday programme: Enrique sets PSG up in a 4-3-3, looking to control matches through quality possession. They average 61% of the ball in this season’s competition, and central midfield playmaker Vitinha is a dominant presence inside the engine room, keeping the ball ticking over with consummate ease.

PSG can draw opponents onto them, before punishing them swiftly from transitions. The French giants have made 317 dribbles across their 14 European games, while in contrast, we have attempted 178. The basis of their threat is built around a fast, fluid, and tremendously exciting front three. Ousmane Dembele nominally leads the line, but he will regularly drift wide and the wingers will all pop up centrally, making themselves difficult to track.

Flying full-backs Nuno Mendes [above] and Achraf Hakimi both pile forward as a matter of course, offering speed, penetration and creativity. Portugal international Mendes has scored four goals in Europe this season, including strikes home and away against Aston Villa, while the experienced Moroccan, Hakimi, has seven goal involvements - both are highs for defenders in this year's competition.

Classy with and without the ball, they could be the best pair of full-backs in club football right now, but there are defensive cracks which can be opened up under pressure. Villa had a lot of joy when playing an aggressive, high-tempo game against PSG, and nine of the 14 goals conceded by the Ligue 1 champions have also come in the 15 minutes either side of half-time. 

Facts and stats

Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring against Fulham

We are unbeaten in our last eight Champions League games (W7 D1), our second-longest run without defeat within a single edition, following a 12-game streak in 2005/06 when we reached the final.

We have won each of their last three Champions League games against French sides by an aggregate scoreline of 11-0. Our most recent home European defeat against a French side came against Monaco back in 2014/15.

PSG have lost five of their last six away matches against English teams in the Champions League, losing against four different opponents (Manchester City x2, ourselves, Newcastle and Aston Villa).

PSG have progressed from seven of their 10 Champions League knockout ties when playing the first leg away from home, taking a lead into the second leg on six of the last nine occasions.

The Parisians will become just the second side to play six consecutive Champions League matches against opponents from the same country after Real Madrid (6 v German teams in 2013/14, 6 games v English teams in 2022/23).

We have been ahead on the scoreboard for 53% of our total match time in the Champions League this season; the highest percentage of any team. Meanwhile, only Inter Milan (1%) have been behind for a lower percentage of their game time than us (6%).

Bukayo Saka has scored nine goals and made six assists in 16 appearances in the Champions League, the most goal involvements for an English player in their first two seasons in the competition.

Ousmane Dembele has been directly involved in 10 goals in the Champions League this season (seven goals, three assists), and could equal the record for most goal involvements by a PSG player in a single edition, currently held by Kylian Mbappe (11).

We have had 13 different goalscorers in the Champions League this season, with only Borussia Dortmund (15 in 2016/17) and Real Madrid (14 in 2001/02) having more in a single campaign (excl. own goals).

Declan Rice could become just the third Englishman to score in the last 16, quarter-final and semi-final within a single Champions League edition after Frank Lampard and Harry Kane.

Match officials

Slavko Vincic

Just as he was when the teams last met in October, Slavko Vincic has been handed control of this game between the two sides. Back then he issued just one booking to each team in a quiet assignment for the Slovenian official, and this will be the third time he has appeared at Emirates Stadium, with the other occasion seeing us draw 0-0 against Villarreal in the second leg of the Europa League semi-final in 2021.

The highly-respected official was the man in the middle for last season’s Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, and was at the last two European Championships and the 2022 World Cup.

Referee: Slavko Vincic
Assistants: Tomaz Klancnik, Andraz Kovacic
Fourth official: Matej Jug
VAR: Alen Borosak
Assistant VAR: Dennis Higler

PREVIOUS VISITS FROM PSG

We have only faced Sporting Lisbon (7) and Standard Liege (6) more often in major European competition without ever losing than PSG, with three of our previous five games taking place in north London. We first met in the 1993/94 European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final, when a 1-0 home success was clinched thanks to the late Kevin Campbell grabbing the crucial goal.

The teams were pitted together in the 2016/17 Champions League group stage when Unai Emery was PSG boss, and in an entertaining affair in N5 Edison Cavani opened the scoring before Olivier Giroud and a Marco Veratti own goal turned things around, but an Alex Iwobi own goal saw the spoils shared.

Our last encounter in October saw us claim a 2-0 success at Emirates Stadium, with Kai Havertz nodding in a header before Bukayo Saka saw a free-kick into the box evaded everyone and found the net to hand us a healthy half-time lead, which was never threatened by the visitors.


Live coverage

Live From N5

For a feel of the atmosphere inside our home ahead of kick-off, tune into Live From N5 as Frimmy and Jeremie Aliadiere will be pitchside, reliving our men’s and women’s European journeys so far.

Nicole Holliday and Ezra Collective's Femi Koleoso will be in the studio and joined by BBC Radio 1's Pete Tong and Jeremiah Asiamah, actor Nathalie Emmanuel and Gladiators' Matt 'Legend' Morsia.

Our studio audience will be put to the test to recall our French connections while ex-Gunner Perry Groves gives his take on our opponents before he joins Dan Roebuck in the commentary box.

You can also find out which broadcasters are showing the action live, wherever you are in the world.