Dortmund semi-final defeat last season can “help us for tomorrow’s game,” says PSG star ahead of Arsenal clash | OneFootball

Achraf Hakimi is confident that Paris Saint-Germain can preserve their one-goal aggregate lead over Arsenal when the sides clash at Parc des Princes on Tuesday, in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final tie.

PSG raced into an early lead in North London last week when Ousmane Dembélé turned home from a low Khvicha Kvaratskhelia cross with just four minutes on the clock. Les Parisiens had opportunities to extend their lead, but were lucky to avoid conceding an equaliser when Mikel Merino’s header was ruled offside and Gianluigi Donnarumma produced a smart stop to deny Leandro Trossard.

Speaking in a pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Hakimi expressed a hope that PSG can call upon their experience of playing in last season’s semi-final, in which they were defeated by Borussia Dortmund over two legs.

“We know what we did well and what we didn’t do well,” the Moroccan international told reporters gathered at the club’s training ground, insisting that “that’s something that will help us for tomorrow’s game.”

With PSG’s advantage only slender, the French side could be forgiven for preserving their lead against a potent Arsenal attack – but Hakimi believes that Luis Enrique will still want his side to play their usual attacking brand of football.

The 26-year-old said: “I don’t think our style of play will change. The coach has given us a very clear message: whether we win or lose, we’re going to keep the same personality we’ve shown all this time, with or without the ball.”

“Every player dreams of playing in these matches,” he continued.

“We know that tomorrow will be a very special evening for all Parisians. The atmosphere at the Parc des Princes is going to be incredible, and we know that outside the stadium, the whole city will be behind us too.”

“Our fans deserve to go to the final, so we’re going to do everything we can to get there. We’re going to do everything we can for them, to make them proud. They’re going to be noisy, they’re going to help us and they’re going to put the pressure on Arsenal. I remember the game against Manchester City, we were losing but the fans were still behind us, and that helped us turn things around,” he explained.

PSG’s match against Arsenal in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals gets underway at Parc des Princes at 20:00 BST [21:00 CEST] on Wednesday 7 May.