PSG star Marquinhos has admitted that his side is going to focus on one thing in training ahead of their clash with Arsenal in the Champions League.
The Gunners play host to the French giants at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night in the first of two huge matches.
Mikel Arteta guided his team to the final four by beating Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, booking their spot in the Champions League semi-final.
Arsenal will need to be at their very best to take on a PSG side who have transformed considerably since the two teams met up in the league phase.
The matchup is well poised as predictions sway too and fro, with Fabio Capello predicting Arsenal to win against PSG, while Rio Ferdinand has backed PSG to defeat Arsenal.
There will be several key battles across the pitch to take note of, but one area in particular is being focused on by Luis Enrique’s squad.
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Marquinhos claims PSG are focusing on set-pieces before Arsenal clash
It’s fair to say that many teams have pinpointed Arsenal’s strength from set-pieces over the season, given the number they score.
Some teams have come up with different ways to stop the plans of Nicolas Jover, with a mixture of success and failure.
PSG are the latest to admit they are devising a plan to deny the Gunners from corners and free-kicks ahead of the Champions League meeting.
The Parisian outfit recently conceded from a set-piece, a running theme for the team, in PSG’s eventual defeat to Nice, which ended their unbeaten run in Ligue 1.
When asked about the set-piece problems, club captain Marquinhos told DAZN: “We know they [Arsenal] are very strong in this [set-piece] aspect.
“We can do better. We conceded a goal this way again.” While he added on tactics for PSG: “There will be strategies to put in place. We will try to do our best to get a result there.”
It remains to be seen whether some extra effort and focus could help PSG deal with those set-pieces.
PSG’s set-piece problems before Arsenal clash
While Arsenal’s strength from set-pieces are clear, so too are the weaknesses of PSG from them in a defensive sense.
The French club have conceded 38% of their goals from set-pieces across all competitions, showing their struggles with them.
It puts further pressure on them to keep clear of the Gunners having too many of them, or risk being punished by it.
Arsenal will be looking to take advantage of those corners and free-kicks, along with their general threat from open play.
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