Arsenal are preparing to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The Gunners failed to win the Premier League title this season, with Liverpool crowned champions on Sunday afternoon after victory over Tottenham.
Thus, attentions have turned towards Europe’s elite competition for Mikel Arteta’s men, although they face a stern test against an electric PSG side.
However, Arsenal dismantled Real Madrid in the last round and will be buoyed by the magnitude of this result, giving Arteta’s side confidence that they can progress to the final.
Luis Enrique says who he thinks are the favourites in Arsenal v PSG
PSG travel to North London on Tuesday evening and will be buoyed by their own route to the semi-final.
The Parisians defeated Liverpool over two legs in the last 16, before beating Aston Villa in the last round.
While Arteta can take a lot from Villa’s near comeback, the French giants still looked incredibly threatening at Villa Park with their pacy and effective dribbling wingers.
Asked in his pre-match press conference about Arsenal and his team’s chances of progressing, Enrique said: “Arsenal are one of the best teams in Europe with a coach that has been doing great work for several years now.
“t will be difficult, because we’re going to face a top opponent, and there will be a lot of intensity on the pitch. We know that playing here, in this stadium, against this team, is always difficult. It’ll be a great match, that’s for sure.
“I think that we’re better than when we lost here in the league phase in October. And I think we’ve shown it on the pitch. Our league phase was intense, with some high-level opponents.
“That journey has helped us, and today we’re better and we feel stronger. We’re more complete, more confident. We meet them again in the semi-final, and we hope to write history.
“I think that we’re two similar teams in terms of the quality of the squad. There is a collective strength that both teams have, two teams that have played with a lot of intensity all season. It’s difficult to pick a favourite.”
Arsenal must start quickly against PSG
Arsenal cannot afford to let PSG settle into their rhythm at the Emirates.
Arteta’s men have to get at the Ligue 1 side quickly and aggressively, and ensure that they have the requisite early tempo in their passing to cause them problems.
It’s absolutely essential that the Gunners establish a lead and bring one back to Paris, otherwise it’s going to be a very difficult night at the Parc des Princes.
Implementing an aggressive counter-press on PSG, whilst going long to evade their press, will be crucial tactical ploys Arteta has to make.
If they do have a lead, there may not be a better team in world football that can turn up, negate and frustrate the Parisians for 90 minutes.
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