Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain meet on Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League with both among the big European clubs to have not lifted this trophy yet. The Gunners opened with a goalless draw away at Atalanta BC while Les Parisiens edged past debutants Girona. David Raya was the hero for Mikel Arteta’s men in Bergamo while Luis Enrique and his players were left thanking Paulo Gazzaniga in the French capital. Leicester City managed to score twice against Raya over the weekend although Arsenal still ran out 4-2 winners in the Premier League thanks to a late show of strength.
Still unbeaten across all competitions this season, the Londoners are facing another tough game, having already gone up against Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur since the start of this campaign. It has been two UCL games without a goal and the Gunners have never gone three games without scoring at Europe’s top table. Meanwhile, PSG notched their fifth win from six Ligue 1 games last Friday with a 3-1 win over Stade Rennais at Parc des Princes.
Bradley Barcola scored twice to take his tally to six goals so far this term, with the French champions leading the way ahead of Barcelona’s conquerors AS Monaco on goal difference and three points ahead of bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille. Les Parisiens got thumped 4-1 by Newcastle United last season which was a third consecutive defeat against Premier League opponents in the Champions League. This matchup also comes eight years after these two last met in the UCL which both ended level although Arsenal did see off PSG back in the 1993-94 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup which was also won by the French giants two years later.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Tuesday, October 1 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Emirates Stadium – London, England
- Watch: Paramount+
- Odds: Arsenal -133; Draw +290; PSG +360
League Phase so far
Raya’s heroics earned Arsenal and opening point in Italy while PSG were grateful for Gazzaniga’s generosity in Paris to start with all three points. The Gunners will be satisfied with a point against a side which caused Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen major problems last year. However, the EPL outfit will not be counting on sitting in 16th place in the League Phase for too long. One of Arteta’s former clubs as a player, PSG, edged past Girona at Parc des Princes to start with a win. Although it is early days in the new-look format, two wins would be an impressive return if Les Parisiens can emerge victorious.
Team news
Arsenal: Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu are out although Merino could return this weekend vs. Southampton. Arteta is also uncertain over Ben White after he missed the last two outings which means that Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber should continue. Bukayo Saka’s run of direct Premier League assists ended against Leicester thanks to a Wilfred Ndidi own goal but he will look to build on his seven direct goal involvements from five UCL games at Emirates Stadium.
Possible Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Havertz, Partey, Rice; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli.
PSG: Ousmane Dembele and Luis Enrique’s postgame discussion after the Rennes win was a continuation of much communication on the field during the game and it has resulted in the France international being left out of the squad entirely by the Spaniard for the trip to London. Naturally, it will be impactful because of his creativity this season so far but also in terms of PSG’s commitment to defending from the front which is not naturally his strong suit. Randal Kolo Muani was wasteful against Girona so Lee Kang-in started and scored against Rennes although the France international would be more of a physical challenge for Gabriel Magalhaes and Les Bleus teammate William Saliba. Dembele’s absence makes it easier to slot his fellow France international into the middle with Lee likely going out wide while Desire Doue from the bench could also bring options.
Elsewhere, Goncalo Ramos, Lucas Hernandez, Presnel Kimpembe and Marco Asensio are also out injured which limits options a bit. Gianluigi Donnarumma is back in training and could return along with Nuno Mendes and Vitinha but there are no guarantees that all three start.
Possible PSG XI: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Ruiz, Neves, Zaire-Emery; Lee, Kolo Muani, Barcola.
Prediction
This one feels like it could catch fire given the right combination of circumstances. One things that does feel certain is that both sides can score so a draw with at least two goals in it seems wise. Do not be surprised if either side sneaks a win by a single goal but one point apiece could be an equally probable scenario. Pick: Arsenal 1, PSG 1.
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