Arsenal prepare for another PSG test

Arsenal will hope to feature in another UEFA Champions League final nineteen years after their first dose of the final that ended with a heartbreak in the French capital.

History could repeat itself for Arsenal on Wednesday when the Gunners reunite with Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their semifinal.

The Gunners already have a goal deficit going into this tie at the Parc De Princes, having lost to Ousmane Dembele’s lone goal. The goals of the Ballon d’Or-chasing Dembele will force Arsenal to try to do what only two teams have done before them to punch their ticket to the final.

The English giant have it all to do away against the Champions League outright favorites with a 1-0 deficit but can summon courage from the success at the Bernabeu in the previous round. 

Having triumphed over Les Blancos, Arsenal and PSG’s first leg was reminiscent of the Gunners’ quarter-final second leg, as the Premier League powerhouses made all the pre-game noise only to fail to deliver on the pitch itself.

Not distracted by the pre-match motivational videos and unorthodox tifo in North London, the Ligue 1 champions delivered the killer blow just four minutes in via the boot of Dembele, who equaled Kylian Mbappe’s record for the most Champions League goal contributions by a PSG player in a single season.

PSG’s victory in the first leg in London made Les Parisiens overwhelming favorites to earn a Munich date with either Barcelona or Inter Milan.

Arsenal could draw inspiration from the fact that PSG had suffered one elimination from a European knockout tie when winning the first leg away from home against Manchester United in 2018-19.

Enrique is going into this tie after a 2-1 Ligue 1 loss to Liam Rosenior’s Strasbourg at the weekend. Arsenal suffered the same scoreline defeat against Bournemouth at the Emirates.

That result shows Les Parisiens’ underwhelming streak of form. They have now lost three and won just two of their last six games across all competitions. Enrique expectedly fielded a second-string team at the weekend, which is more than can be said for the men in red and white.

As PSG lost 2-1 in league action while resting most of their starters, Arsenal suffered the same fate with most of their starting lineup on the pitch against Bournemouth, who became the latest team to capitalize on the Gunners’ alarming failings at the back after taking the lead.

If they win in France, Arsenal will become the third team to progress from a Champions League semifinal after losing the first leg at home.

They will be banking on their away record of a seven-game unbeaten run f across all competitions. They had won each of their last four on the road in Europe and scored at least two goals each time.

Repeating their 2-1 Bernabeu victory over Real Madrid would give Arsenal a shot at salvation in extra time. However, PSG have scored 14 goals in their last three Champions League home victories.