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Arsenal and PSG face off tonight at the Emirates Stadium, while both teams aiming for the Champions League final have shown a good performance in the Champions League.
Arsenal
Apart from a 1-0 defeat to Inter on Matchday 4, Arsenal's performance in the league stage was almost exemplary. Built on the second-best defence of the tournament, the goals began to flow more freely with each match. A memorable 3-0 win in the quarter-final first leg at home to Real Madrid was the best of all the games, before they won 2-1 at the Bernabéu to secure a stunning 5-1 triumph over the reigning champions and reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2008/09.
Arsenal have reserved their best performances for the Champions League this season, recording some important victories such as a 2-0 home win against Paris and a stunning 7-1 away win over PSV in the round of 16. But the triumph over Real Madrid will go down in the history books and the boost in confidence gained from beating such strong opponents with such determination could carry them all the way to the trophy.
As a pupil of Arsène Wenger and a trainee of Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta values possession, speed and creativity when attacking. The triumvirate of Ben White, Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard can be particularly devastating when exploiting space on the right wing. However, in their defence, as the team to have conceded the second fewest goals in the Champions League, coupled with their dominance in set pieces, this Arsenal side also harks back to the George Graham era of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City from 2016 to 2019, Arteta guided Arsenal to a 14th FA Cup in his first season in charge. After finishing eighth and fifth in the Premier League in 2021 and 2022, Arteta's men led the team for most of the 2022/23 campaign and most of last season, but were beaten at the end of the season by the relentless Cityzens on each occasion.
The Gunners are strong all over the pitch, but it is captain and playmaker Ødegaard who drives them forward. Signed in January 2021, initially on loan from Real Madrid, the 26-year-old's vision and passing range have won him many admirers in north London, and he won the club's Player of the Season award in 2023/24 after contributing 11 goals and 11 assists in all competitions.
PSG
Paris have struggled to reach the Champions League semi-finals. After victories over Girona and Salzburg, their season was put in jeopardy after a dramatic late home defeat to Atletico in matchday four. Luis Enrique's side have no problem creating chances, but converting them has been a bigger problem until a remarkable comeback against Manchester City.
Paris missed a host of chances in a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their last-16 tie with Liverpool. But they worked hard to recover at Anfield, winning 1-0, before keeping their composure to triumph on penalties, with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma the hero with two brilliant saves. The Italian goalkeeper played a vital role again as they progressed to the semi-finals, making a number of key saves in the 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa that followed a 3-1 first-leg win at Parc des Princes.
They are arguably the most in-form team in Europe at the moment. Luis Enrique's men have been making rapid strides towards the Ligue 1 title and have been equally unbeaten on the continent since their 3-0 defeat to Salzburg in Matchday 6. Their mammoth two-leg clash with Liverpool in the last 16 gave them everything, but their victory was ultimately justified.
Creating scoring chances has never been a problem for Paris, but finishing them has been. But even that problem has been overcome, as Luis Enrique has managed to create one of the most versatile teams in Europe. Uniting metronomic midfielders capable of recycling possession and demanding space against stoic opposition formations, the Parisians also boast the athleticism and explosiveness that the modern game demands. Somewhat overlooked, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho and Nuno Mendes provide the defensive foundations for those attacking.
The former Barcelona and Real Madrid player won nine trophies during a hugely successful three-year spell in charge of the Blaugrana, including two La Liga trophies and the 2014/15 Champions League.
He led Spain to the semi-finals of EURO 2020 and the 2021 Nations League final before succeeding Christophe Galtier in Paris in 2023, winning two domestic titles and reaching the Champions League semi-finals in his first season and retaining the Ligue 1 crown as of now.
Vitinha, an elegant and creative midfielder, looks to be PSG's strongest point. He has a knack for scoring important goals. He was included in the 2023/24 Champions League team of the season and will once again play a crucial role for Paris in the knockout stages.
Paris became the first team to have seven different scorers in a Champions League match (from the first week to the final) in their 7-0 success against Brest.
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