The Champions League semi-final first leg clash between Arsenal and PSG took place on Tuesday, April 22
Arsenal will welcome Paris Saint-Germain to Emirates Stadium for the Champions League semi-final first leg this time next week.
After overcoming Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, French champions PSG stand in the Gunners’ way of reaching the final, which will be played on May 31 at the Allianz Arena in Munich. Luis Enrique’s side knocked out Aston Villa in the previous round and have looked impressive in recent months and will no doubt cause Arsenal problems over the two legs.
A lot has been made of Thomas Partey being suspended for the first leg on Tuesday, April 29 after the midfielder picked up his third yellow card in the competition this season in the 2-1 win over Madrid. PSG, on the other hand, will have a full squad to choose from, barring any fitness and injury concerns due to none of their players being suspended for the first clash between the two sides.
Mikel Arteta will likely have a good idea of the players available to Enrique come the weekend, too. PSG fielded a weakened team against strugglers Le Havre on Saturday, with the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Joao Neves starting the game on the bench. Willian Pacho missed the game through illness while Goncalo Ramos came in up front with Ousmane Dembele left out entirely from the matchday squad. There is no suggestion of an injury to him.
PSG travel to Nantes on Tuesday before they welcome Nice to the Parc des Princes on Friday. It will be interesting to see which players feature in the two Ligue 1 games and Arteta will likely be keeping a close eye on what happens. Enrique is expected to share minutes around his squad as he will not want any of his stars to pick up injuries ahead of next week’s Champions League clash.
In his pre-match press conference ahead of Tuesday’s match against Nantes, Enrique did not mention any fresh injury concerns. Dembele and Pacho may return to the squad after missing out at the weekend. On the importance of having a large squad, Enrique said, via the official PSG website: “To achieve the objectives we have set ourselves, we need at least 16, 18 or even 20 players.
“We try to ensure that they are all connected. It’s difficult, but I think that’s the way to perform at our best. In that sense, I’m very happy with the squad I have at my disposal.”
On managing playing time, the Spaniard said: “There are many factors to consider. You have to take a broad view and assess the physical and emotional state of each player. It’s very important to manage workloads, especially in a team that plays so much. There are many variables to take into account, and we try to manage them. I’m satisfied with how we’ve handled it so far.”
So, like many Arsenal supporters, Arteta will likely keep one eye on PSG’s two matches in the coming days as it may provide a hint as to who may play in north London next week. The Gunners are of course in action themselves this week as they face Crystal Palace on Wednesday.