Arsenal and PSG on the brink as history and heartbreak collide | OneFootball

The thrill at Emirates Stadium will shake the foundations. Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain take to the field this Tuesday to begin the battle for a spot in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League final, on their shoulders the appetite of those still chasing the ultimate dream. On one side, the Gunners have re-emerged as a reasonable force in the European scene after toppling giants. At the other end, PSG tries once more to demonstrate that its billion-dollar venture can finally deliver real glory.

Arsenal showed incredible consistency in the Champions League, even more so in eliminating Real Madrid | Anadolu/GettyImages

Arsenal flirts with history again

It has been sixteen years since Arsenal last felt the air of a Champions League final. Now, driven by a solid and mature campaign, Mikel Arteta's side carries not only the hopes of their fans but also a convincing brand of soccer that speaks for itself. In the Round of 16, PSV were easy prey with a ruthless 7-1 win in the first leg. In the quarterfinals, Real Madrid posed a scorching exam. Arsenal's response was resounding: a 3-0 win in the first match, utter dominance in the aggregate, and a ticket to the next round clinched without batting an eyelid in the fabled Santiago Bernabéu. The run so far lends weight to Arsenal's consistency in this Champions League. There is solidity to this team. Emirates Stadium, once so frequently a mute witness to European meltdown in recent years, now has a fresh breath of life and belief as the Gunners set their eyes on the grand final.

PSG rises when it matters most

Whereas Arsenal's quest is built on the shoulders of consistency, PSG sails through turbulent waters powered by resilience. Their group stage campaign wasn't without blemishes, but by the time the knockout stages arrived, the narrative was transformed. None more so than the comeback against Liverpool. Losers at Parc des Princes, Luis Enrique's men showed rare resilience by turning the result around and eliminating the Reds through penalties.

Against Aston Villa, another stern test, PSG once again showed real character. They comfortably won at home in Paris, stumbled in Birmingham, but dug deep. Donnarumma, so criticized in the past seasons, stood like a rock and proved that when the attack doesn't work, he is the unlikely hero everyone prays for.

After having several stars, PSG bets on the group to win the Champions League | Dan Istitene/GettyImages

History favors Arsenal

The clash between Arsenal and PSG is not new in Champions League history. Overall, the two teams have faced off five times in European competitions, with the clear advantage belonging to the English side: two wins and three draws. PSG has never beaten Arsenal in continental encounters, something that weighs on the minds of the two groups of supporters.

Recent history is also not very kind to the French when it comes to playing on English turf. In their last six away games against English sides in the Champions League, PSG has lost five and won just one. Included in those defeats is the group stage loss to Arsenal this season, a 2-0 defeat at Emirates Stadium.

These numbers serve to set the tone for the first leg. Playing at Emirates, in front of a red-hot Arsenal and a vociferous crowd, adds another layer of complexity for PSG.

Saka and Dembélé are star names in the encounter

Individual brilliance can settle a semifinal as tight as this. For Arsenal, Bukayo Saka is the big hope. The teenager has scored nine goals and supplied six assists in just 16 Champions League games for the club, making him the English player with the most goals after two seasons in the competition, and the winger with the best record since Sadio Mané.

On the other side, Ousmane Dembélé carries the French flag. PSG's number 10 has seven goals and three assists in this Champions League campaign and is rapidly closing in on Mbappé's club record for most goal involvement in a European season.

Overall, then, this semifinal's first chapter has all the ingredients of a intense, closely fought, and significant clash. For Arsenal, a home win is a necessity if they are to maintain emotional and tactical control of the tie. For PSG, it is a case of riding out the Emirates and bringing the decision back to Paris, a path that can ultimately lead the way to the glory that has evaded them so many times previously.