Arsenal vs Paris Saint-Germain

Emirates Stadium sets the stage for the first leg of a mouth-watering Champions League semi-final tie between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.

It’s been nearly 20 years since Arsenal last featured in the Champions League final, and it didn’t end well for them as Barcelona beat them 2-1 in the Paris showpiece. Though they’ve not reached the title-deciding fixture since 2006, the Gunners are potentially 180 minutes away from achieving that feat this year after pulling off an epic 5-1 aggregate win against defending champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals. History backs Arsenal for success here, considering they’ve avoided defeat in all five previous meetings with PSG (W2, D3), including a 2-0 home win in this season’s league phase in October. That victory forms part of Arsenal’s impressive 11-game unbeaten home streak at Europe’s top table (W9, D2). Defensive solidity has been the backbone of the Gunners’ outstanding European form in London, with Mikel Arteta’s charges keeping nine clean sheets across those 11 games. 

In the meantime, PSG’s quest to become the first team in Ligue 1 history to complete an unbeaten league campaign crumbled last weekend as Nice thumped them 3-1 in Paris. However, after locking down a record-extending 13th top-flight crown, Luis Enrique’s men have set their sights on bringing home an elusive first Champions League title. Les Parisiens head into this match aiming to defy an uninspiring run of five losses from their last six away games against English clubs in the Champions League (W1). Furthermore, the perennial French champions have lost four Champions League semi-final legs on the spin. On the bright side, they’ve already won two knockout ties against Premier League sides in this season’s competition, overcoming Aston Villa and Liverpool.