Arsenal

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Pundits speaking to Amazon Prime's live broadcast have had their say on Arsenal's 1-0 defeat to PSG in their Champions League semi-final first leg.

Former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott:

"Arsenal are still in the game. If it was 2-0 then it would potentially kill the tie. PSG will be disappointed it's only one."

Former Man Utd striker Wayne Rooney:

"PSG could have won the game by two or three. I was a bit disappointed with how Arsenal played and the fans too. It was subdued. It was like they beat Real Madrid and would walk into the final.

"Mikel Arteta can't go away from the game plan that they've had for the majority of the season. They have to go and be patient. Keep themselves in the game and then gamble towards the end."

Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge:

"For PSG, there will be pressure to get the job done in their stadium."

Former AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf:

"For Arsenal to really elevate to that winning team, they have to shift in mentality. PSG did what I expected Arsenal to do. They pressed high.

"I really hope David Raya will watch the game back because sometimes what you feel after a game is not necessarily what has happened."

Former England striker Alan Shearer:

"PSG have been the better team tonight and I think the Arsenal fans will accept that."

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, speaking to Amazon Prime: "Disappointed with the result. We put so much into the game.

"We struggled first 10-15 minutes to get momentum and dominance. Disappointed not to get a draw at least."

On PSG's goal: "That is always the danger, credit to them. They get out of a situation that is close. We had seven players behind the ball and they were clinical, sometimes you just have to recognise the talent of the individual."

On Mikel Merino's disallowed goal and the Gunners' missed chances: "Great timing, the margins, millimetres offside. The action of [Gabriel] Martinelli one-on-one, he has done that before. [Leandro] Trossard in a one-on-one and he [Donnarumma] makes the save. That's the margins, that's the level."

Did Arsenal miss Thomas Partey?: "I think Declan [Rice] and Mikel [Merino] were enormous.

"He gives options and a different threat. It gives us flexibility to change the game."

What is the mentality for next week's second leg?: "It's half-time and we have a big chance to be in the final."

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Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, speaking to Amazon Prime: "They started quick with a goal and they dominated the first 15-20 minutes but after that we dominated most of the game, created the chances.

"[Gianluigi] Donnarumma made some good saves. It's only half-time, we take positives. They are a top team but credit to the players for the effort - we could've won the game.

"We know they keep possession a lot and are good at that. They had that chance and put it in the net, this is football and we had chances to score but we didn't manage to.

"I've not seen [disallowed] goal back but we needed that lift and we showed from the 25th minute of the first half that we can win against any team. We have showed in the season we can win away games too so we'll go to Paris next week trying to win.

"We know how important Thomas Partey is but lucky enough we have good depth in midfield that everyone can step in. Declan [Rice] as the six showed a good game, he was good on the ball and everyone was really good today."

On next week's second leg: "Try to approach the game the same way. We played well, we put them on the backfoot, hurt them and we created a lot of chances as well. We know we can win against any team."

On his save from Desire Doue: "That's what I'm there for. To help the team and luckily enough I managed to save it and happy with that. Let's go next week in Paris."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Arsenal's performances

Come back to this page on Wednesday to find a selection of your replies

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

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We have two very different Champions League semi-finals this week, with Arsenal versus Paris St-Germain very balanced in stats compared to the extremes of Barcelona against Inter Milan.

The Gunners and PSG rarely rank as the best or worst in either attack or defence out of the four remaining teams in the competition.

Arsenal are the best in terms of xG Against (0.9 per 90 mins), which suggests that – while Inter have conceded fewer goals – Arsenal are arguably the most defensively sound. They give up slightly better quality but far fewer chances than Inter.

PSG have been the most dominant team in terms of shots, taking both the most up front (19.3 per 90 mins) and giving up the fewest at the back (9.4).

But they have also been the most wasteful in front of goal, converting just 10.9% of their shots. This isn't just down to finishing though as they've created the lowest-quality chances (0.11 xG per shot), often choosing to shoot from distance rather than finding a way closer to goal.

The fact they have only won one penalty also affects things as Inter have won six to date, Arsenal five and Barcelona three - which boosts both their conversion rate and xG per shot numbers.

PSG have had the most possession in games so we can expect them to have a lot of the ball against Arsenal but both teams also like to win the ball high up the pitch.

Journalist and Arsenal fan Harry Symeou tells The Football News Show how the Gunners will have to adapt without the suspended Thomas Partey for their Champions League semi-final first leg against Paris St-Germain, and why Declan Rice isn't quite a like-for-like replacement at the base of Mikel Arteta's midfield.

Watch The Football News Show on iPlayer

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We asked for your thoughts on how you would replace Thomas Partey in Arsenal's midfield for Tuesday's first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Paris St-Germain.

Here are some of your comments:

Andy: Play Rice as the number six and Merino on the left of the midfield three. Play Nwaneri in the middle of the attacking three, but give him a free role to roam. It'll give PSG something unexpected to think about. It won't happen, though. Trossard will play centre-forward.

Webmeister: With Partey out, it would make perfect sense to move Lewis-Skelly or Zinchenko into midfield and play Tierney at left-back. It would also be tempting to play White at right-back and Timber at left-back, but White is not a good one-v-one defender, and against those PSG wingers, Arsenal will need to have defenders who excel in one-v-one duels.

George: I'd like to see Zinchenko on the left and Lewis-Skelly in the six role. I think Rice must start as an eight.

Raja: Merino is the second best header we have after Gabriel. He will be best suited to the defensive midfield position given Partey is unavailable. We will miss Partey immensely, but I am more concerned about our goals, which is key given it's a home game and we must take advantage. Trossard can be amazing in one game and can also completely disappear in another. Biggest Champions League night in 16 years. COYG!

Ricky: Arteta has a ready-made solution to the Partey issue. Play Lewis-Skelly in the six. He is a midfielder after all. Then play one of several options at left-back. Leaves Merino in the false nine. Doubt very much Arteta will be brave enough. Merino in the eight and Trossard false nine is a poor option.

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Arsenal's "real maturity" in regards to their game management in big European fixtures has been a big improvement this season, says former Gunners defender Matthew Upson.

Mikel Arteta's side are preparing to face Paris St-Germain on Tuesday in the first leg of their first Champions league semi-final since 2006.

"I've been so impressed with Arsenal's game management in this Champions League campaign and how they've performed," Upson told 5 Live Breakfast.

"They've really matured. They will all be great players on that pitch tonight, you don't get to this stage of the Champions League if you are not a top player.

"But the management of the game, the tiny decisions, the tactical choices you make to win the match or stop an attack or start an attack, that's the difference.

"Arsenal have shown a real maturity in that area of late and PSG are a very young team.

"They have hit a funny little patch, they are maybe not quite the force that turned up at Liverpool, in terms of how they are performing week in week out."

Arsenal's midfield was key in their domination of holders Real Madrid in the round of 16 but Arteta will be forced to rethink his first leg approach due to Thomas Partey's suspension, while Jorginho also misses out through injury.

"The bit that's going to be great is the midfield battle," Upson added. "It's such a shame that Thomas Partey got that silly yellow card against Real Madrid.

"It forced Arteta to have to reshuffle. Mikel Merino playing in the nine position worked well against Madrid, they had a nice balance, but now they'll have to change all that because of Partey's absence."

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

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Key midfielder Thomas Partey's one-game ban provides Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta with the latest selection headache in a season riddled with similar issues.

The notion of heading into Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg against Paris St-Germain without the Ghanaian, who picked up a late booking against Real Madrid with the tie as good as over, rankled with Arteta, according to well-placed sources.

It is a clear dilemma to navigate, particularly given Arteta is already without both recognised centre-forwards in Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, and first-choice centre-back Gabriel.

The return to training of Mikel Merino, who missed the draw with Crystal Palace with injury, eases the predicament to a certain extent.

On Monday, Arteta maintained a cloak of uncertainty over whether Merino was fit enough to start against PSG, saying: "Ben [White] and Mikel, they were able to train. Let's see whether they are able to start."

Nevertheless, there is hope Arteta will be able to call on Merino from the off at Emirates Stadium.

The Spaniard has scored seven goals in 15 matches since his switch to an unfamiliar striker role - even for a genuine centre-forward, that is an encouraging return.

So the question is: does Merino return to his natural habitat in central midfield or continue as a makeshift striker in Partey, Havertz and Jesus' absence?

Without Partey, there appears clear reasoning towards reverting Merino to midfield alongside Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, especially with Jorginho unavailable because of a rib injury.

Moving Merino further back could be key towards placating the threat posed by PSG's expected midfield triumvirate of Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves, certainly without the physical presence of Partey.

It is a switch Arteta is understood to have looked at in training in the build-up.

If Merino does play in midfield, Arteta would then need to decide whether to deploy him in a defensive or advanced position, though there is logic in using Rice as the deeper number six given his combative attributes.

Merino in midfield would open the door towards Leandro Trossard playing at centre-forward.

No Partey, no problem? Arteta and Arsenal will hope so.

Put yourself in Arteta's shoes - how would you cover for Partey's absence? Send us your team selections here

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

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Ben White's return to fitness comes as a timely defensive boost for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.

The versatile defender's season has been heavily disrupted by injuries, and he was rated as doubtful for the Paris St-Germain game by the Gunners manager after missing last week's draw with Crystal Palace.

As with Mikel Merino, Arteta was non-committal on Monday about whether White would be fit enough to start at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

But despite his return to training, you would imagine there is likely to be a temptation for Arteta to stick with the four-man defence of Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Jakub Kiwior and Myles Lewis-Skelly that restricted Real Madrid so stoutly in their quarter-final.

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There are "definitely dents and chinks" in the armour of Paris St-Germain that Arsenal can exploit, says Gunners fan Rakeem Noble.

Arsenal host PSG on Tuesday in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final hoping to take a positive result to Paris next Wednesday.

Having comprehensively beaten defending champions Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate in the quarter-final, there is more confidence among fans than there may have been before that result.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast, Noble said: "It's a big game, big occasion, probably one of the biggest games of the past decade or so at the Emirates. There is no reason to be negative about this one.

"Last time, before the Real Madrid game, it was a bit shaky. Nobody was sure how it was going to go as the season wasn't looking great, but I feel like we have new life and new breath after that 5-1 aggregate win. We go to PSG now much more confident than last time.

"PSG have been a solid team throughout the year. They have won the French league, but then tell me a year that PSG haven't won the French League. At Champions League level, yes they beat Aston Villa first time around comfortably, but second time around I think they got the run around by Aston Villa.

"There is definitely dents and chinks in their armour that can be exploited. Looking at how Arsenal dealt with Madrid over the two legs - a comprehensive beating with 3-0 and 2-1 - if Arsenal go in with that kind of strength then I definitely believe they can get the job done.

"If you beat Real Madrid in the earlier stages then it gives you confidence you can go and beat anyone else."

Laura Kirk-Francis
Fan writer

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As Arsenal await their Tuesday showdown with Paris St-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals, we have entered 'what if' territory.

On the one hand, getting past the French champions will see Arsenal in their first Champions League final since 2006. Win that, and everything that has gone wrong this season will be forgotten.

I am, regrettably, a more pessimistic Arsenal fan. I have started catastrophising what will happen if Arsenal do finish this season without any silverware. Anxiety often gives us the false feeling of control, so here are a few of the worst case scenarios I have considered.

One of the biggest differences between Mikel Arteta's Arsenal and the one he inherited, is that there are now bona fide superstars in the squad.

Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Declan Rice are all showing they belong in the upper echelons of football.

But something worth having is also worth losing. Real Madrid have long been linked with Saliba. On Monday, rumours were swirling that Arsenal have locked in Saka's contract extension, but they will be aware that hanging on to their superstars will become increasingly difficult if success does not follow on the pitch. The vultures from La Liga and beyond are circling.

Another worry is that incoming players, previously believed to be buying into the Arteta 'process', will have concerns.

Arsenal have been on an upward trajectory, but with three second-place finishes in a row, you might argue they have peaked - and a stagnation, or worse a backwards step, is necessary to progress. That is a much harder sell to potential signings than a promising but nascent work in progress.

But this is not the week for catastrophising.

On Tuesday, Arsenal will be hoping to replicate what they did against Real Madrid as they face the French side. We will worry about next season after that because this one is not over yet.

Find more from Laura Kirk-Francis at the Latte Firm podcast, external

Image source, Opta

The Opta supercomputer has made Arsenal favourites to win the Champions League.

The Gunners have been given a 56% chance of making it through their semi-final against Paris St-Germain and 32% of winning a potential final against Barcelona or Inter Milan.

The model estimates the probability of each match outcome by using betting market odds and the Opta Power Rankings, external.

It previously made Arsenal slight favourites to reach the semi-finals, external over Real Madrid - which was not universally agreed with by fans on this page.

Arsenal are considering a move for out-of-favour 27-year-old Chelsea and France forward Christopher Nkunku, as Mikel Arteta looks to add more attacking options this summer. (Teamtalk), external

Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay says Arsenal target Martin Zubimendi's future will be resolved in June. The Gunners look ready to formally trigger the 26-year-old Spain midfielder's £51m release clause. (Radio Marca Donostia, via Mirror), external

Arsenal are ready to open discussions with the agent of 26-year-old Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres about a summer move. (Givemesport - subscription needed), external

Want more transfer news? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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