Arsenal team news vs PSG and predicted lineup | OneFootball

Arsenal welcome Paris Saint-Germain for the opening leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday at 8 pm (UK time).

This will be the sixth meeting between the sides, with the Gunners unbeaten in the previous five (two wins and three draws). Arsenal are the opponent the French side have faced most often in European competition without ever winning (5).

Arsenal predicted line-up vs PSG

Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Ødegaard, Rice, Merino; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli

Arsenal enters the semi-finals of the Champions League on a remarkable high, having decisively defeated Real Madrid 5–1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.

The Gunners will host the first leg of this semi-final, where they have demonstrated exceptional form at home throughout the season. Their recent 3–0 victory over Madrid extended their unbeaten streak to 17 matches in UEFA competitions at the Emirates Stadium, setting high expectations for this crucial encounter, their first semi-final appearance since the 2008–09 season.

Mikel Arteta’s squad is also encouraged by their earlier 2–0 win against Paris Saint-Germain during the group stage. While PSG has struggled against Arsenal in their past five competitive meetings, they have shown resilience by eliminating two strong Premier League teams, Liverpool and Aston Villa, in the knockout rounds.

Additionally, PSG’s experience at this level is notable, as they have reached the semi-finals in four of the last six seasons.

Arsenal team news vs PSG

Arsenal received a significant boost as Mikel Merino participated in training ahead of their Champions League clash. After missing the recent match against Crystal Palace, Merino was uncertain for the first leg of the semi-final against PSG at the Emirates Stadium.

However, his return to training on Monday suggests he will be fit for the upcoming game. Ben White, who also sat out the draw with Palace, trained and is likely to be available, further enhancing Mikel Arteta’s options.

While Thomas Partey is suspended and Jorginho is sidelined with a rib injury, Merino’s potential return allows him to join Declan Rice and captain Martin Ødegaard in midfield, with Leandro Trossard, who has been in excellent form with four goals this month, leading the attack.

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are expected to support him on the wings, while Arteta is likely to maintain the defensive lineup that successfully contained Real Madrid in the previous round, featuring Jakub Kiwior alongside William Saliba in central defence.

Is Saka the game changer?

PSG boss Luis Enrique will be under no illusion about the task facing his newly crowned French champions, with Arsenal being in a formidable mood in this season’s Champions League at both ends of the pitch.

They have been ahead on the scoreboard for 53% of their total match time in the UEFA Champions League this season, the highest percentage of any team.

Meanwhile, only Internazionale (1%) have been behind for a lower percentage of their game time than Arsenal (6%), who haven’t trailed at any point in the knockout stages this term (vs. PSV and Real Madrid).

A near-ever-present has been the club’s “star boy,” Bukayo Saka, who has missed five of the Gunners’ previous 12 games in this season’s competition.

However, when on the field, Saka has pretty much been on song, having netted five goals and created two more across seven appearances. However, things become even more impressive when viewed from a broader perspective.

Saka has scored nine goals and made six assists in 16 appearances in the UEFA Champions League for Arsenal. This is already the most goal involvements for an English player in their first two seasons in the competition, and the most by a winger in their first two since Sadio Mané (16 across 2017–18 and 2018–19).