Arsenal vs Paris Saint Germain – UEFA Champions League – Preview, Team News and Updates

After a two-week break, fans can once again look forward to Champions League football. And oh boy, do we have some juicy fixtures lined up. On Tuesday, English giants Arsenal go up against French champions, Paris Saint Germain.

Both Arsenal and PSG have made stellar starts to the season. PSG have been the early pacesetters in Ligue 1, leading the division with 16 points on the board. Meanwhile, The Gunners currently sit just one point behind league leaders Liverpool after six games in the Premier League. However, their start to the 2024/25 Champions League campaign has been less than ideal. Mikel Arteta’s men were very fortunate to come out with a draw against Atalanta in their Champions League opener. They would look to finally get all three points in their second game, but PSG would be a tough nut to crack. 

Paris Saint Germain, themselves, can consider them lucky, as they needed a 90th minute winner from Nuno Mendes to overcome Spanish minnows Girona in their first game of UCL. Now, Luis Enrique’s men must perform at their best if they want to get a positive result against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium. With both clubs looking to clinch a crucial victory, tonight’s game has all the makings of a UCL classic. 

Arsenal vs Paris Saint Germain – Match Preview  

Following a heartbreaking campaign last season – in which Arsenal lost the Prem title to Manchester City, despite accumulating 89 points – the Gunners are determined to go one better this time around. They have certainly started that way, securing four wins and 2 draws in six Premier League matches. Besides Prem, Arsenal trashed Bolton by a scoreline of 5-1 in their fourth round Carabao Cup tie. However, they are yet to pick up a win in the Champions League. The Gunners were sparred their blushes in their first UCL game against Atalanta thanks to some heroic goalkeeping by David Raya. The Spaniard saved Matteo Retegui’s penalty, before leaping into action to parry Retegui’s headed finish from the ensuing rebound. 

However, since their underwhelming performance that night, Arsenal have turned things around. Following their 0-0 stalemate in Bergamo, Arsenal secured a thrilling 2-2 draw at Etihad Stadium against Man City. They followed that up with a 5-1 trashing of Bolton Wanderers, before overcoming a resilient Leicester City side thanks to late goals from Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz. More importantly, the Gunners have scored 11 goals in those three matches, which could indicate that they can finally cope with the attacking brilliance and creativity of Martin Odegaard. Mikel Arteta will be hoping that this newfound scoring prowess can help the team avoid setting an unwanted record. Arsenal have failed to score in their last two Champions League matches, and they’ve never gone three UCL games in a row without finding the back of the net. 

While Arsenal were fortunate to escape with a point in their Champions League opener, PSG had their own stroke of luck in securing a win against Girona in theirs. Luis Enrique’s men looked toothless in front of goal that night. PSG’s performance was surprising when considering that the French giants have been by far the best attacking side in Ligue 1. At the moment, Les Parisiens lead Ligue 1 standing, having accumulated 16 points while scoring 20 goals and conceding just five goals.  

Many thought that PSG would falter after Kylian Mbappe's blockbuster move to Real Madrid, but instead, they’ve been nothing short of sensational this season. Credit goes to Luis Enrique's clever tactics and the surprise emergence of Bradley Barcola as PSG’s talisman. The 22-year-old winger has been a revelation, already bagging six goals this season. His dazzling dribbles and newfound killer instinct in front of goal have marked him as one of Europe’s most exciting rising talents. Arsenal’s defense will have their hands full, as Barcola’s ability to break through and create chances could spell danger anytime he’s near the box. He’s the kind of player who can turn a game on its head in an instant, and right now, he’s PSG's new talisman. 

Arsenal vs Paris Saint Germain – Team News and Updates 

PSG will be missing a few key players due to long-term injuries, including Goncalo Ramos (ankle), Lucas Hernandez (knee), and Presnel Kimpembe (Achilles). However, there’s good news for the French champions as Gianluigi Donnarumma, Vitinha, Marco Asensio, Desire Doue, and Nuno Mendes have all returned to the squad after their own injury scares. That said, only Donnarumma and Mendes are likely to feature in the starting lineup. Following Randal Kolo Muani’s struggles in front of goal against Girona, Lee Kang-in was given the nod to start and rewarded PSG with their second goal in a win over Rennes. Now, both Kolo Muani and Lee Kang-in are expected to lead the line together after Ousmane Dembele was reportedly dropped following a disagreement with Luis Enrique. 

On Arsenal’s side, a string of injuries continues to plague Mikel Arteta’s squad. Captain Martin Odegaard (ankle), Mikel Merino (shoulder), Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf), Kieran Tierney (hamstring), and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) are all sidelined for the upcoming clash. Merino, though, has a slim chance of being available for Arsenal’s weekend Premier League match against Southampton. Meanwhile, Ben White’s status remains uncertain, as he’s been nursing a knee injury and has missed the last two games. This could leave no room for rotation for Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber, both just recently back from injuries themselves. 

As for Bukayo Saka, he was unfortunate not to make history in the Leicester game, with Arsenal’s third goal being counted as a Wilfred Ndidi own goal. Had the goal been awarded to Trossard, Saka would’ve been the first player to assist in each of his first six Premier League matches this season. However, Saka’s Champions League form at the Emirates speaks for itself, as he’s been directly involved in seven goals across five home games—a record no Arsenal player has surpassed in their first five UCL appearances. 

Arsenal vs Paris Saint Germain – Kick-Off Time and Date 

The game is scheduled to take place on 2nd October 2024 (Wednesday) at Emirates Stadium in London. The match will kick off at 12:30 AM (Indian Standard Time). 

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