Mikel Merino points to 'massive' reason Arsenal can pull off Champions League comeback against PSG | OneFootball

Gunners looking to become only third time to win Champions League semi-final tie after losing first leg at home

Comeback mission: Mikel Merino insists Arsenal can come from behind to beat PSG

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Mikel Merino says winning at the Bernabeu has fuelled Arsenal with the belief they can topple Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes and reach the Champions League final.

Merino, however, believes the Gunners have what it takes and he is buoyed by Arsenal’s recent win at the Bernabeu.

Mikel Arteta’s side beat Real Madrid 2-1 in their own backyard earlier this month and that has filled them with belief ahead of a trip to Paris.

“Those experiences are massive for us to prove we can win anywhere, the Bernabeu, against any side in the Premier League as well, it gives us a lot of confidence,” said Merino.

“Paris is a tough place to go but still we have proved always that we can compete against anybody and, with all due respect to anybody, I think we are going to win the second leg.

“Why am I optimistic? Okay, based on what I have seen tonight, I think you have seen a team that can compete against a huge side like Paris.

“I don’t know if you saw Paris in the whole season but they are a really dominant team, they want to keep everybody on their own box and we managed to play a lot, we created big chances.

“This team, you never can give up on us because I think we proved that we always going to fight until the end, so I think we have the technical quality and most important we have the motivation to go to the second leg and win this for our fans and for ourselves.”

Arsenal are taking confidence from their Bernabeu victory

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PSG dominated the early stages of Tuesday’s first leg, but Arsenal fought back and created chances of their own.

Gianluigi Donnarumma made two big saves to deny Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, while Merino had a goal ruled out for offside.

PSG have looked shaky at times during their run to the semi-finals and they have lost twice at home in the Champions League this season.

“I think it (defeat in the first leg) changes nothing because the mentality of this team is always going to win, even if you are three up or one down,” Merino added.

“So we are going to Paris with the mentality of sticking to our basics, sticking to our standards and try to win.

“I think today we saw a team that can compete against anybody, we had massive chances to level the game, we couldn’t, but the team is full of confidence and full of energy for the second leg.

“Obviously the dressing room was disappointed because of the loss, because we always want to win, even more in front of our fans.

“But straight away we are thinking that the best mentality is to be positive, obviously learn from our mistakes today, take the positives, study the opponent and go for the second leg full of energy.

“I think we don’t have to prove things to other people, we have to prove things to ourselves, we are our main critic, we are the ones who want to win the most, nobody wants us to win more than ourselves, I am telling you that.

“The amount of pressure we put on ourselves every training session to get better and win against anybody is huge. So we want to be proud of the work we are putting on and make our fans proud and that is why we are going to go in the second leg with all the energy in the world.”