Declan Rice Arsenal Emirates Stadium
Arsenal Emirates Stadium
Arsenal head to the Parc des Princes this week for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final and because they lost their home game 1-0, Mikel Arteta’s men cannot afford to sit back and play safe on Wednesday night.
They suffered yet another defeat in the league, losing to Bournemouth at the weekend but the Premier League race is already over so this loss isn’t going to affect the directly. However, the fact that Arsenal have not won in their previous three outings will be a cause of concern for their manager.
PSG also suffered a defeat to Strasbourg at the weekend but Luis Enrique did make 10 changes to the side that started against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. The French team will be properly rested and ready to take on the English giants but unfortunately, Mikel Arteta did not have the luxury to rest any of his regular starters.
If Arsenal can replicate their form against Real Madrid, they should be able to reach the final but this PSG side is a well-oiled machine under Luis Enrique, so this one’s going to be an uphill battle.
Arsenal’s team news and injuries:
In defence, Gabriel, Tomiyasu and Ricardo Calafiori are all out injured and neither of them will be fit to play the second leg on Wednesday night. Jurrien Timber missed the Bournemouth game due to a knock but reports suggest that his omission was just a precautionary measure and he should be available for selection.
In midfield, Thomas Partey is back from suspension after having missed the first leg due to a one-match ban. His return comes at the right time because Jorginho is out of action after suffering a punctured lung during the Brentford game last month.
Thomas Partey will slot into midfield alongside Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard while Mikel Merino will start as the centre-forward in the absence of Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.
Odegaard suffered a knock at the weekend and immediately there were fears of a major injury but the playmaker has since calmed the nerves, claiming that it was only a small knock.
“Yeah, I think it’s okay,” he said after the match, as quoted. “It was just a hit, so it’s a bit sore, but it’s fine.”
Martin Odegaard has provided three assists in his previous four appearances for Arsenal but the midfielder had a very underwhelming first-leg. He will need to pull the strings at Parc des Princes if the Gunners hope to claw back the deficit and reach the final.
Mikel Merino has done really well as the makeshift centre-forward in recent weeks and for the second leg, the Arsenal manager will put faith in him instead of Leandro Trossard.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs PSG – UCL semi-final 2nd leg:
Goalkeeper: David Raya
Defenders: Kiwior, William Saliba, Ben White/Jurrien Timber, Lewis-Skelly
Midfielders: Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard
Forwards: Mikel Merino, Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka