Champions League Preview: Arsenal vs PSG
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Around 3000 Paris Saint-Germain supporters are expected to head up to London on Tuesday evening as Luis Enrique's Parisiens face one of the toughest sides from the Premier League in Arsenal Football Club. It's a gala match which also has big implications for each side's standings in the newly-formatted UEFA Champions League standings.
PSG managed to edge out Girona (1-0) in their last outing in the competition at the Parc des Princes after Nuno Mendes's cross was spilled into the net by goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga. They faced Rennes last Friday at the Parc des Princes where a dazzling display by Bradley Barcola helped Les Rouge et Bleu claim their fifth Ligue 1 win of the season.
Mikel Arteta's Gunners opened their Champions League campaign with a draw against Atalanta BC on the road (1-1) with goalkeeper David Raya starring with a strong penalty save to give the English side a point. Arteta, who played for Les Parisiens during the 2001-2002 season, has led his side to an unbeaten start to the season in all competitions. The North London side haven't struggled to hit the back of the net in recent weeks: hitting 11 goals in their last three outings against Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, and Leicester City.
The Arteta connection: "I loved every minute of my time at PSG."
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the Arsenal boss looked back on his time in the French capital with a glint of nostalgia. "It was my first professional experience and I loved every minute of it," he said with a smile when asked about his season in Red & Blue. "I'll always be grateful to the club, who believed in me when I was only 17. It was a real springboard for me, with team-mates who shaped what I wanted to be as a player and who ignited in me the desire to become a manager in the future: Ronaldinho, Anelka, Okocha, Pochettino, Heinze... they were incredible players," said the Spanish coach.
The Spaniard then went on to praise current PSG manager and fellow compatriot Luis Enrique. "I really admire Luis Enrique. An incredible personality, enormous charisma, enormous energy," he said. He's always been very supportive of young players. And what I like about him is that no matter what he's done as a player or as a manager, his mark is omnipresent."
Luis Enrique: "I have good memories of Arteta"
The love-in between the two Spaniards certainly continued during the PSG manager's presser later on Monday evening. "We were team-mates for a season at Barcelona, even though he was young at the time. I have fond memories of him as a partner. He had a great career as a player, he had a very successful end to his career. We haven't played against each other since we started coaching together."
"Even if it's only five minutes before the game, I'd love to talk to him and it's a pleasure to be able to say hello to him on Tuesday. He's one of the best coaches on the market at the moment, and he's helped Arsenal become a title-winning club again. He's a great coach and a great person."
Team News: Ousmane Dembélé out, Lee Kang-In in?
Arsenal will be without long-term absentees Martin Odegaard (ankle), Mikel Merino (shoulder), Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf), Kieran Tierney (hamstring), and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) for Tuesday’s game.. Ben White remains a doubt with a knee issue, meaning no rest for Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber, both recently back from injury.
Ousmane Dembélé is out of the Paris Saint-Germain side owing to disciplinary issues, which means Randal Kolo Muani and Lee Kang-In could start together following the latter's promising performance and goal against Stade Rennais. Donnarumma should also return between the sticks for PSG.
Predicted PSG XI: Donnarumma; Mendes, Pacho, Marquinhos, Hakimi; Ruiz, Neves, Zaïre-Emery; Kang-In, Kolo Muani, Barcola
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Partey, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli.
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