Preview: Can Arsenal overcome PSG to reach the Champions League final?

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Football writer Lewis Ambrose analyses Arsenal's task in Paris with a place in the UEFA Champions League final at stake.

Arsenal head to the Parc des Princes with a mountain to climb if they are to reach just the second Champions League final in their history on Wednesday.

It is nineteen years since the French capital staged the Gunners’ 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in 2006. Now Mikel Arteta’s side must overturn a 1-0 deficit against Paris Saint-Germain if they are to book a place in this month’s final in Munich, against the winners of the other semi-final between Inter Milan and Barcelona.

Just two teams, Ajax (in 1995/96) and Tottenham Hotspur (2018/19), have ever lost the first leg of a Champions League semi-final at home and gone on to reach the final.

Ousmane Dembele’s early strike quickly quietened a raucous Emirates Stadium last Tuesday and PSG had late chances to score a second goal after Mikel Merino's effort for Arsenal was ruled out for offside and Gianluigi Donnarumma stood firm in goal to keep the visitors ahead.

Arteta was hoping for a response at the weekend but did not get one. He made just two line-up changes for their Premier League defeat to AFC Bournemouth, with the result prompting the Spaniard to say his team had "created a lot of rage, anger, frustration" in giving away a one-goal lead to the Cherries.

Those emotions must now be channelled to help Arsenal rise to the occasion in France.

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PSG also lost at the weekend, to Strasbourg, although Luis Enrique did use the opportunity that comes with already being champions to make 10 changes from the side that won in north London.

Partey much-needed in Paris

Arsenal will have Thomas Partey back for the second leg after the midfielder was suspended last time out, but they could be without right-back Jurrien Timber, who was not considered fit enough to be on the bench at the weekend.

As for PSG, Dembele limped off after scoring the first leg’s only goal but returned to training on Monday.

Partey’s return will allow Arsenal to return to the front six that helped them to win both legs against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, with Declan Rice in a box-to-box role and Merino up front.

Merino has performed admirably as an emergency striker in the absences of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus since February, scoring six goals across 10 appearances when leading the line in the Premier League and Champions League.

Compared to Leandro Trossard, who started up front in the first leg, Merino offers more presence there. He also provides an option for goalkeeper David Raya to go long from the back, giving Arsenal some flexibility and unpredictability when building up, as well as someone to aim at in the box.

Having Trossard on the bench will offer Arteta someone to turn to as well. The Belgian is Arsenal’s third top scorer (10 goals in all competitions) and second most-used substitute (17) this season after Ethan Nwaneri. Arteta did not make a change until the 83rd minute last week, by which point PSG had already replaced two of their starting front three with fresh legs.

Even without a recognised striker or key defender Gabriel Magalhaes, there is plenty of hope for Arsenal, who beat PSG 2-0 in this season’s league phase.

The Gunners have scored a total of 16 goals in winning each of their last four Champions League away games.

The space behind PSG right-back Achraf Hakimi can be exploited, given Arsenal enjoyed their two biggest chances down that flank last week, only for Gabriel Martinelli and Trossard to be denied by Donnarumma in goal.

PSG have kept just two clean sheets in their last 12 home games across all competitions but even if the Gunners can score the goals they need in Paris, they will also have to keep their hosts out at the other end.

The French champions looked like they were toying with Arsenal for the first 30 minutes of last week’s first leg and had two huge late chances to score a second goal on the break and all but end the tie. Doing the business at both ends of the pitch is a tall order.

A moment that will make or break their season

Ultimately, Arsenal’s season now rides on winning in Paris. They are now at risk of not even finishing as Premier League runners-up to champions Liverpool, and the Champions League is their last hope of a first trophy since winning the FA Cup in 2020.

For all the improvement in recent years, including back-to-back second-place finishes in the Premier League, a return to Champions League football after six years away, and a first Champions League semi-final since 2009, Arteta and his players have not enjoyed a crowning moment and this is the first season in a while that does not yet look like progress.

Their campaign has been hamstrung by injuries exposing a lack of sufficient quality in depth, plus the joint-most red cards (five) in the Premier League.

It’s been clear for a number of weeks now that Arsenal's focus has been on their European run but failing to take that final step will only increase doubts that, although they can certainly compete for major honours, actually winning them is beyond this team.

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