Munich is just one game away for Arsenal, who must travel to Parc Des Princes to overcome a one-goal deficit in the Champions League semi-final second leg. Here is our Arsenal predicted lineup vs Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs Paris Saint-Germain for April 7
How Arsenal Have Lined-up Recently
Despite a strong line-up last time out, Arsenal fell to a 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth.
David Raya started in goal in front of a defence of Ben White, William Saliba, Jakub Kiwior and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Arteta rotated the midfield in recent weeks to prioritise the Champions League, but in their last match, he used the Cherries as preparation for the Paris Saint-Germain clash. Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey and Declan Rice will all likely start tonight, even after playing the majority of the Bournemouth game at the weekend.
This was also true of Arsenal’s attack with Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli starting last time out.
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Arsenal Recent Form and Tactics
In their last five matches, Arsenal have two wins, one draw and two losses.
Belief is high in the Gunners camp, and it will take a stellar performance to get them into the final.
When Arteta was asked how he plans to turn the tie around, he said:
“Again, a lot of the things that we did in the first game, better, more consistently. If we do that, the probability for success will be very, very close to us. We are more than capable, we’ve done it in Europe against a lot of odds, probably nobody would say that we’ll be in this position. So that was against history as well. So, let’s make our own history.”
The Reds will be boosted by Thomas Partey’s return to the midfield, giving them that much-needed steel against the array of Paris Saint-Germain’s attacking talent.
In the first leg, Arteta started with a 4-4-2 formation, which came as a notable change from the usual 4-3-3 that the Spaniard favours.
But after 20 minutes of Paris Saint-Germain dominating possession (77%), Arteta made a savvy switch to a 4-2-3-1, with Martin Odegaard dropping deeper to try to shut down Vitinha. After this, the Gunners’ fortunes began to improve, and they got back in control of possession in the last 70 minutes (55%) and had more shots than Paris Saint-Germain at 10-7.
So with Partey and Odegaard dropping deeper, Arsenal should have more protection from the Parisisans and a more solid foundation to build their own attacks.
Arsenal Injuries and Absentees to Consider
Arteta gave updates on two key Arsenal personnel in his pre-Paris Saint-Germain presser.
Jurrien Timber could be back in contention for tonight’s match after he missed the Bournemouth game.
Arteta said: “I will assess him today, whether he can start the game or not.”
The defence could also be bolstered by the return of Riccardo Calafiori. It is unclear whether he would be starting tonight, though. The Italian star has been sidelined with a knee injury since March.
The Gunners boss said: “Yeah, he’s [Calafiori] travelled, and he’s fit and he’s ready to play when we need him. So that’s great news obviously.”
Martin Odegaard has also been spotted back in training after he also suffered a knock against the Cherries.
Thomas Partey will be available for selection after missing the first leg through suspension.
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Arsenal Predicted Lineup Vs Paris Saint-Germain
GK: David Raya
RB: Ben White
CB: William Saliba
CB: Jakub Kiwior
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly
CM: Martin Odegaard
CM: Thomas Partey
CM: Declan Rice
RW: Bukayo Saka
CF: Leandro Trossard
LW: Gabriel Martinelli
