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Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal will need to do something special if they are to reach the European Champions League final. Arsenal were defeated 1-0 by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the semi-final first leg at home on Tuesday.
Now the second leg will be played next week. PSG gave Arsenal the lead in the opening 25 minutes of the match at the Emirates Stadium. Ousmane Dembele scored the decisive goal.
After that, the performance of the home team improved, but they could not return the goal. Mikhel Marina's goal scored in the second half was ruled offside. PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma also made some excellent saves.
As the second leg takes place in the French capital, the French champions will be in a position of slight advantage. After the game, Arteta said, "We have only reached the middle of the game." Arteta also spent a short time in his playing career at PSG.
'Whenever we go to Paris, we will need a win. We are able to do this job with pleasure. Arsenal and PSG are two good teams. There is nothing too great a clash between them. If we want to reach the final, we will have to do something really special in the second leg.'
Arsenal reached the semi-finals for the first time since losing to Manchester United in 2009. In that sequence, Arsenal defeated former champions Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals. Arsenal have only reached the Champions League final once since 2006. At that time the team lost to Barcelona.
The Champions League is the only remaining competition for Arsenal in the situation that the English Premier League title has been handed over to Liverpool. Arsenal have not won any title since the 2020 FA Cup. PSG coach Luis Enrique said
is satisfied with his team's performance, but believes there is not much to be done before next week's game. "By defeating Arsenal at their home, our players have shown how strong they are mentally," he said.
When the match is played in Paris, a draw will be enough for PSG to enter the final. Enrique, who won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015, believes that PSG should not get too emotional in their current situation. "Now we have to play in a very smart way in front of our own supporters. Sure, this game won't be easy, but we're ready for it. It will be enough for us to show our natural game.'
PSG will want Dembele to stay fit in that game. He was forced to leave the field in the second half with an injury in the first leg. He was disciplined when PSG lost to Arsenal in the league stage.
Lately he has been on a roll. He has scored 33 goals in all competitions this season. 28 of these goals were scored after mid-December. "If Dembele will play, that's good," Enrique admits.
