Paris Saint-Germain welcome Arsenal to Parc des Princes on Wednesday evening for the crunch second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final.
PSG forward Ousmane Dembele came up with the only goal of the first leg at the Emirates Stadium last week, leaving the tie to be decided in Paris. Having almost clinched the Ligue 1 title, Luis Enrique had the luxury to rotate his squad in the 2-1 league defeat to Strasbourg at the weekend.
Arsenal, on the other hand, were beaten 2-1 at home to Bournemouth in the Premier League. This was not the ideal preparation for the Gunners ahead of the trip to PSG. Mikel Arteta and Co. will look to take some inspiration from the win at Santiago Bernabeu in the last round and recreate the magic here to reach the Champions League final.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Arsenal—Team News
PSG have been boosted by the return of Ousmane Dembele on the grass, after the Frenchman was ruled out of the Strasbourg game due to an injury suffered at the Emirates Stadium. But Lee Kang-in is a doubt for the game after hurting himself in the 2-1 defeat to Strasbourg.
As for Arsenal, Thomas Partey is available for selection again after serving his suspension in the first leg. The North Londoners were also boosted by the return of Jurrien Timber in training on Tuesday after sitting out the Bournemouth defeat at home. Riccardo Calafiori trained too, as the Italian defender closes in on a return from his knee injury.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Arsenal—Predicted lineups
Predicted Paris Saint-Germain Lineup (4-3-3): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, William Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Joao Neves; Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Predicted Arsenal Lineup (4-3-3): David Raya; Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Jakub Kiwior, Myles Lewis-Skelly; Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino, Gabriel Martinelli
Paris Saint-Germain vs Arsenal—Key Players
PSG—Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele has been in sensational form this season. Due to his eye-catching 33 goals and 12 assists in all competitions, he is a worthy contender for the Ballon d’Or. The Frenchman scored the only goal in the first leg, and having recovered from a minor injury after sitting out the weekend league game, Dembele will be raring to work his magic and help Les Parisiens qualify for the final.
Arsenal—Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka was excellent against Real Madrid over the two legs in the last round. He scored the killer goal at the Santiago Bernabeu that extinguished Real’s chances of making a comeback in the tie. If the England international can get spaces to exploit behind the PSG, he can prove to be lethal.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Arsenal—Prediction
Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 Arsenal