Arsenal are preparing for their biggest game of their season, as they host Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates on Tuesday evening.
Liverpool are set to be crowned Premier League champions, with the Gunners falling 12 points behind the Merseysiders with four games remaining.
Thus, Mikel Arteta’s team’s attention is on the Champions League, and PSG await in the semi-final.
The Spanish manager will be without several key players for the first leg, including the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Thomas Partey and Jorginho.
French media praised Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka in Arsenal v PSG
Arsenal beat PSG 2-0 at the Emirates in October, courtesy of goals from Havertz and Bukayo Saka.
Havertz expertly headed past Gianluigi Donnarumma 20 minutes in, before Saka’s free-kick drifted past a crowded box and into the back of the net.
It was a comfortable victory for the Gunners, although they can expect a much sterner test this time around, with Ousmane Dembele missing that trip to North London, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia signing for Luis Enrique’s team in January.
However, L’Equipe gave PSG a scathing review for their display in North London, and Arteta will hope they replicate that dire level of performance.
Meanwhile, the French outlet praised both of Arsenal’s goalscorers on the night, awarding Havertz and Saka both seven out of ten for their outings.
They were the only Gunners players who eclipsed six, as the two stars carried the home team to victory that night.
Kai Havertz sustained a season-ending injury in February during Arsenal’s warm-weather training camp in Dubai.
There’s now hope that the German could return for a prospective final, although he’ll definitely be absent for the PSG showdown.
Havertz was instrumental to Arsenal’s victory over PSG, providing David Raya with an outlet to go long to beat the Ligue 1 side’s aggressive press.
The Gunners will likely use Mikel Merino instead, although the Spaniard doesn’t offer the same threat running in behind as the former Chelsea man.
How L’Equipe reacted to PSG’s performance against Arsenal
As aforementioned, L’Equipe were not complimentary of Enrique’s team’s antics in Islington last time out.
Awarding Donnarumma, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola all three out of ten, it was a disastrous showing from the Parisians.
They were particularly brutal in their assessment of the goalkeeper, which could be something Arsenal exploit in the last four tie.
The publication wrote on the Italian shot-stopper: “Can Paris really have such high ambitions with a goalkeeper who makes so many mistakes in the Champions League?
“Guilty of not going out within his six meters on the first goal (20th), the Italian was less at fault on the second but just as passive (35th).”
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