Gary Neville believes Arsenal can beat Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final. He pointed out that the atmosphere at Parc de Princes will be hostile, but showed confidence in the north London side.
The Gunners lost 1-0 at the Emirates in the first leg of the semi-final on April 29. Ousmane Dembele's fourth-minute goal was enough for the Parisians to take a lead into the second leg. At the weekend, Mikel Arteta's side lost 2-1 against Bournemouth at home in the Premier League.
In his podcast on Sky Sports, Gary Neville spoke about the result but still said that the Gunners can win in Paris, saying (via Metro):
"The worry for Arsenal is they played their strongest side [against Bournemouth] and still lost. But I genuinely think Arsenal can do it. I think they can go to PSG and do it.
"I went there with David Beckham once to watch Real Madrid play there and I saw them [PSG] get nervous. There’s such an expectation around PSG winning the Champions League. It will be hostile for the first 20 mins and if they score it will continue to be hostile."
He added:
"However, if you can get a goal – which Arsenal definitely can either from a set-piece or a counter-attack or a bit of brilliance – I think you can see and feel the mood changing in that stadium.
"I think Arsenal are in with a shout this week. It’s a huge game for Arsenal, it’s a season-defining game and could be career-defining for some of the players if they come from behind to beat PSG. Beating PSG and reaching the Champions League final would be an incredible achievement."
The second leg of their Champions League semi-final at the Parc des Princes will take place on Wednesday, May 7.
PSG and Arsenal face similar results ahead of their Champions League clash
Both sides lost 2-1 in their respective league fixtures at the weekend, but with hugely different contexts. The Gunners hosted Bournemouth at the Emirates and were looking for revenge from their 2-0 defeat earlier this season at the Vitality Stadium.
Mikel Arteta chose to field a full-strength team instead of rotating in preparation for the Champions League semi-final second leg. The hosts led in the 34th minute through a goal from Declan Rice. However, the Cherries equalized in the 67th minute through Dean Huijsen before taking the lead through Evanilson in the 75th minute.PSG, meanwhile, heavily rotated their side for their Ligue 1 clash against Strasbourg at Stade de La Meinau. A Lucas Hernandez own goal gave the hosts the lead in the 20th minute before Felix Lemarechal (45+3') made it 2-0. Bradley Barcola scored for the Parisians in the 46th minute, but they couldn't salvage a point.
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Aditya Singh
Aditya has been working as a European football journalist and editor for Sportskeeda for close to 3 years. He boasts a total experience of over 6 years, and always aims to inculcate proper context in his articles, making the most of his prior stints in writing and marketing across a number of different industries over the years. He has also played football at college level for 2 years.A B.Tech. graduate, Aditya's journey as an ardent football fan began after watching the elegant maestro Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the final. He has been a fan of Tottenham Hotspur's front foot and creative football since 2008 and connect's with the club's underdog status.Aditya, who is a Sportskeeda 'Long-form Editor of the Month' award winner, is a big admirer of Luka Modric's elegant and hard-working style of play. His favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti because the Italian allows his players enough freedom in an age where micromanagement is the established norm.Aditya feels Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala could replicate the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry due to their incredible collective potential. In his free time, he likes to read classical fiction, travel to places, and explore a variety of foods.
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