Arsenal are set to play the biggest game of their season as they visit Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night.
Liverpool beat the Gunners to the Premier League title, while Mikel Arteta’s team also crashed out of the FA Cup and League Cup, meaning the Champions League is the only piece of silverware left on the table.
PSG beat Arsenal 1-0 in the first leg at the Emirates, with Ousmane Dembele’s neat finish in the fourth minute enough to separate the two sides.
The North Londoners face a tough task to turn the tie around in Paris, and they’ll need every marginal detail to go in their favour if they want to progress to the final.
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Mikel Arteta says Arsenal are aware of how the referee operates before PSG clash
In a game of such tight margins, the smallest details could have an impact on the ultimate outcome of the tie.
Arteta will be very wary of that and will stress to his players that they have to make sure they get the psychological side of the game right, as well as the tactical.
Gary Neville is optimistic about Arsenal’s prospects in Paris, with the outspoken pundit stressing that the Parc des Princes can get very nervy in big games.
Arsenal can exacerbate the anxiety within the crowd by playing into the dark arts.
They’ll need to avoid antagonising the referee, Felix Zwayer, who was previously involved in a match fixing scandal in 2005, although has enjoyed a successful officiating career since his six month ban from the game 20 years ago.
Asked about the official taking the spotlight in his press conference on Tuesday evening, Arteta revealed that his team have done their research on Zwayer and have planned for his style of managing a game.
“We always get our reports obviously and understanding who it’s going to be and how he likes to manage the game to try to understand it and to try to help it in that sense, and make sure the players are very much aware of that and our work is done,” he said.
Arteta’s team have received five red cards in the Premier League this season, and while a few of them have certainly been harsh, the Spaniard’s side have a reputation for ill discipline.
They’ll need to be on their best behaviour to overcome PSG on Wednesday.
What Mikel Arteta said about winning trophies
Arsenal are aiming to win their first piece of silverware since 2020 and their first ever Champions League trophy.
The Gunners haven’t reached the final of Europe’s elite competition since 2006, and thus, the PSG second leg is arguably the club’s biggest individual match for 19 years.
Arteta will have Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori available to him for the monumental showdown in the French capital, meaning he has almost an entirely fit squad to pick from for the game of his life, aside from some long-term absentees.
Asked about winning trophies in his press conference, the divisive coach said: “We’re going to try and do it this season. Winning trophies as well is about being in the right moment in the right place.
“Liverpool has won the title with less points than we have in the last two seasons. With the points of the last two seasons, we have two Premier Leagues.
“So you have to be in the right moment in the right place. Hopefully, here, we are at the right moment in the right place in Paris tomorrow to earn the right to be in that final.”
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