Arsenal vs Paris Saint-Germain preview, H2H, team news, line-ups, and prediction

Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain will continue their quest for a first-ever UEFA Champions League title when they face off on Tuesday night in what is set to be a pulsating semi-final first-leg encounter at the Emirates Stadium.

Fresh from an extraordinary two-legged triumph over Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals, Arsenal approaches this tie riding a wave of momentum.

Needing a monumental turnaround to stay alive after falling to a three-goal defeat at the Emirates in the opening leg, the reigning European champions faced an almost impossible mission to preserve their ambitions of lifting another continental trophy. Only four sides have overturned such a margin in more than three decades of Champions League knockout play, but Madrid failed to etch their name onto that exclusive list, barely mustering a fightback.

The North Londoners compounded their dominant 3-0 success in England by claiming an even more astounding 2-1 victory at the Bernabeu, leaving a scarcely believable 5-1 aggregate triumph over the most decorated club in European Cup history. Their progression to the semi-finals was nothing less than deserved.

With no recognised number nine and lacking Gabriel Magalhães’ towering presence at attacking set-pieces, Arsenal entered the clash as clear underdogs against Los Blancos. Nevertheless, they defied expectations spectacularly to reach just their third Champions League semi-final and their first in sixteen years, since 2009.

Before seeing off the Spanish giants, Mikel Arteta’s men had already dismantled PSV Eindhoven with an emphatic 9-3 aggregate victory in the round of sixteen, further strengthening their European pedigree.

Despite falling short in the semi-finals — first against Barcelona in the 2005-06 final and later at the hands of Manchester United three years later — the Gunners have emerged victorious in half of their past UCL semi-final appearances. Few can now deny their standing among the serious contenders for this season’s ultimate prize.

In fact, under Arteta’s stewardship, Arsenal have compiled a sensational unbeaten run of eight matches in the ongoing Champions League campaign — their finest since a 12-game streak back in the 2005-06 season. Furthermore, they arrive at Tuesday’s encounter undefeated in twelve matches across all competitions, recording six victories alongside six draws.

Yet, a familiar flaw resurfaced during Wednesday’s 2-2 Premier League stalemate against Crystal Palace — a result that inched Liverpool a single point closer to clinching the domestic title. No side has surrendered more leads this season, with Arsenal’s nine draws from winning positions the highest tally across the 2024-25 English top-flight season.

PSG must capitalise on Arsenal’s familiar vulnerabilities if Luis Enrique’s side wishes to avoid suffering the duplicate elimination that now awaits dethroned champions Madrid. However, Les Parisiens boast a formidable record against English opposition lately, having swiftly dispatched two of Arsenal’s Premier League counterparts.

Unai Emery’s Aston Villa and Arne Slot’s Liverpool fell short against PSG’s youthful and energetic squad over two legs. Yet, while the Parisiens did suffer a narrow 3-2 defeat to Villa in the return leg of their quarter-final, the damage was already done, rendering that minor blemish largely insignificant — albeit a reminder that Enrique’s team are far from invincible.

Domestically, that setback at Villa Park left a lasting impact. The French champion’s subsequent Ligue 1 performances have been unconvincing. They only edged past Le Havre 2-1, were held 1-1 by Nantes, and suffered a shock 3-2 loss at the Parc des Princes to Nice, bringing their unbeaten home run to an unexpected end.

Nevertheless, with the Ligue 1 crown firmly secured, Enrique’s men can afford slight domestic slip-ups. However, their two-goal draw with Nantes on April 22 ensured that Les Parisiens extended a magnificent streak of scoring in 18 consecutive away matches across all competitions.

Still, memories of their October 1st visit to North London will haunt them, where they fell 2-0 to Arsenal during the Champions League group phase — a defeat that stretched their winless run against the Gunners to five matches since their first encounter.

Indeed, no other club has thwarted PSG more often in European competition without tasting defeat than Arsenal. The Gunners must replicate the fearless display that vanquished Madrid if they harbour aspirations of meeting either Barcelona or Inter Milan at Wembley on May 31 with fans desperate to buy Champions League final tickets.

Arsenal vs Paris Saint-Germain match details

• Date: Tuesday, 29th April, 2025
• Location: London, England
• Venue: Emirates Stadium
• Referee: Slavko Vinčić
• Assistant referees: Tomaž Klančnik, Andraž Kovačič
• VAR: Alen Borošak
• Assistant VAR: Dennis Higler
• Fourth official: Matej Jug
• Kick-off time: 08:00 PM GMT, 07:00 PM UTC, 09:00 PM CET, 10:00 PM CEST
• Tickets: Champions League tickets can be purchased from the clubs or via trusted reseller Seatsnet.com.

Match stats and head-to-head

• Declan Rice has taken 12 shots in six Champions League appearances this season, averaging two attempts per game.

• Gabriel Martinelli has received two yellow cards in five Champions League matches, with an average of 0.4 cards per game.

• No defender has scored more goals than PSG’s left-back, Nuno Mendes, who has netted four goals in the UEFA Champions League this season.

• Arsenal remain unbeaten against PSG, winning two of their five encounters and drawing the other three.

•  Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, is the 10th Spanish coach to reach a UEFA Champions League semi-final. Only Italy (11) has produced more different coaches to do so in the competition’s history.

• William Saliba made 12 clearances against Real Madrid in their recent match, the most by any Arsenal player in a UEFA Champions League game since Per Mertesacker against Bayern Munich in March 2014 (12).

• Arsenal have made it to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for only the third time in their history, after 2005-06 and 2008-09. English teams have reached the semi-finals 30 times, with Spanish clubs (38) being the only ones to do so more.

• Heading into Tuesday’s game, Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 12 matches across all competitions, with six wins and six draws.

• Ousmane Dembele, whose remarkable campaign boasts 44 direct goal contributions — 32 goals and 12 assists across 44 appearances — has somewhat cooled off lately, enduring a six-match drought without scoring in Ligue 1 and the Champions League.

• Arsenal have matched their longest winning streak away from home in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, winning four in a row. The previous time they achieved this feat was in February 2006, when they defeated Real Madrid 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in the last 16.

• Against Aston Villa, PSG dropped points in a UEFA Champions League game after leading by two or more goals for the first time since March 2001, when they lost 4-3 to Deportivo de La Coruña. They had previously won 56 consecutive matches in such situations.

• Mikel Arteta managed an impressive eight-game unbeaten run in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League, marking Arsenal’s longest streak since a 12-match sequence in 2005-06.

Team news

Arsenal’s midfield anchor, Thomas Partey, received a sharp rebuke from Declan Rice during their Bernabeu triumph — and justifiably so — after the Ghanaian picked up an unnecessary booking that sidelines him for Tuesday’s first leg through suspension.

Partey’s absence presents a significant headache for Mikel Arteta, especially with Jorginho — the squad’s other recognised number six — potentially ruled out for the rest of the season owing to a chest injury. As a result, Rice is expected to revert to a deeper role while Mikel Merino is tipped to occupy the left-sided eight position.

That plan, however, hinges on Merino overcoming a currently undisclosed issue, though positive signs suggest the Spaniard will make the squad, much like Ben White, who is also pushing to return from a knee problem.

By contrast, Riccardo Calafiori’s participation remains far more uncertain due to his knee trouble, while Gabriel Magalhães (hamstring), Kai Havertz (hamstring), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), Gabriel Jesus (ACL), and Jorginho (chest) are all confirmed absentees for the first encounter.

Meanwhile, PSG’s enviable European campaign has been underpinned by a remarkable injury-free record. Once again, Enrique is expected to have a full complement of players available for the trip to North London.

The former Spanish manager opted to field his strongest side against Nice. Despite the unfavourable outcome, much of that lineup should be trusted again, although Bradley Barcola will surely be pushing to displace Desire Doue.

Predicted starting lineup

Arsenal predicted starting lineup:

Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Rice, Merino; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli

Paris Saint-Germain predicted starting lineup:

Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Ruiz, Vitinha, Neves; Barcola, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia.

Prediction

There’s no question that PSG are a superior team to Madrid this season, and Friday’s defeat to Nice should not be given too much weight, especially with the Ligue 1 title already secured.

This tie promises to be exciting, with the real fireworks expected to begin next week. When these two sides clashed in October, PSG was still evolving into the formidable team it is now. Arsenal will be keen to test the waters at home, with a tense and tactical encounter likely to unfold at the Emirates Stadium

There’s no shortage of intriguing battles across the pitch, and the tactical chess match between the two managers will certainly captivate.

Even without Partey acting as a shield in midfield for the hosts, PSG can still be counted on to cause problems in the attacking third. However, Arsenal’s defensive solidity was unquestionable against Madrid — aside from one avoidable error by William Saliba.

Arteta’s side also have the tools to handle PSG’s marauding attack, and it’s easy to imagine the Gunners taking a narrow lead to the Parc des Princes. The question, of course, is whether that will be enough to secure a place in the final.

We’re predicting a 1-1 draw.