Paris Saint-Germain vs. Arsenal: UCL Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

When Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain meet for the second leg of their semi-final on Wednesday, it could feel like a painful déjà vu of their Champions League heartbreak in the French capital 19 years ago.

Chasing Ballon d'Or glory, Ousmane Dembélé struck the decisive goal at the Emirates in the first leg, leaving Arsenal with the daunting task of doing what only two clubs have managed before — overturn a home first-leg defeat to reach the final.

Still, the Gunners can draw confidence from their dramatic win at the Bernabéu in the previous round and will throw everything at the Champions League favorites in Paris. 

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

The first leg between Arsenal and PSG felt like a letdown, much like Arsenal's quarterfinal clash with Real Madrid — plenty of hype, little delivery. Luis Enrique's side struck early through Dembélé, leveling Kylian Mbappé's club record for most goals in a season, and held on for a narrow 1-0 win in North London.

PSG returned home with a slender advantage, chasing a Munich final against Inter or Barcelona. Their only European quarterfinal collapse after a first-leg away win came against Manchester United in 2019. Over the weekend, a rotated PSG side fell 2-1 to Strasbourg, their third defeat in six matches.

Arsenal also slumped domestically, losing 2-1 to Bournemouth despite starting their stars. Declan Rice opened the scoring before goals from Dean Huijsen and Evanilson — the latter controversially involving a hand — condemned the Gunners to a 10th loss from a winning position this season.

History isn't on Arsenal's side: only Ajax in 1996 and Tottenham in 2019 have overturned home semi-final first-leg defeats in the Champions League. Still, Arsenal are unbeaten in seven away matches across all competitions, winning their last four European road games while scoring twice each. A repeat of their 2-1 win at the Bernabéu could force extra time — though PSG's 14 goals across their last three Champions League home games make this a daunting task.

PSG x Arsenal

PSG striker Ousmane Dembélé strained his hamstring in the first leg and remains doubtful about his return, though he's making progress. Gonçalo Ramos is set to lead the line, while Lee Kang-in is also questionable.

João Neves, the only starter from the Strasbourg game, will join Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz in midfield, with Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia returning on the wings.

For Arsenal, Thomas Partey is back from suspension, with Martin Ødegaard expected to shake off a knock in time to partner him and Declan Rice. Jurrien Timber faces a fitness test, while Calafiori, Jorginho, Gabriel Jesus, Havertz, Gabriel Magalhães, and Tomiyasu remain sidelined.

Our predictions

Both teams to score @ 1.57 on Sky247.ng.

Liverpool showed it's possible, though their triumph at the Parc des Princes came thanks to a once-in-a-lifetime performance from Alisson Becker. An Arsenal side notoriously prone to surrendering leads is unlikely to replicate that Arne Slot masterclass in Paris.

While Partey's return and a potential Dembélé absence are significant factors, Arsenal's push for goals could leave openings for PSG's electric wide players to exploit.

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