Good Morning!
It’s a lovely day here in Bangalore. Though I would have liked it to be cooler, but hey, I was in Delhi just yesterday, so not complaining.
Before we get into the big game tonight, let’s start by congratulating Arsenal Women for their heroics in Lyon. It was a special evening for the women in red and white, with a mountain to climb to overcome the 1-2 deficit from the first leg. And did they do it in style? Going away and thrashing the French champions is no small feat.
The nature of the victory makes me think: Is this going to be Arsenal’s year, finally?
The comparisons between the men’s and women’s campaigns in the Champions League are undeniable. Both find themselves at the cusp of European glory, something that we have craved for several decades. Fingers crossed, they can make it happen this time.
Back to the game tonight. It is one of the biggest European nights in recent memory. Having reached this stage of the competition just twice before, i.e., in 2006 and 2009 — the former still hurts to this day.
With regard to the team news, Mikel Arteta confirmed that both Mikel Merino and Ben White are available, which is a big boost given how thin our squad looks in key attacking and defensive positions.
A quick lookup on PSG’s tactics under Luis Enrique shows similarities in how we play – Fluid in attack, aggressive pressing, midfield dominance, and winger overload. This may suit us, to be honest. We have struggled with a low block, finding it difficult to break down teams who sit deep but excel against teams who like to come forward.
Given the injury situation and Thomas Partey’s suspension, we will have to use Merino in midfield while Leandro Trossard is expected to get a nod in attack.
Mikel Arteta may have to alter the game plan based on how PSG starts this game, which is expected to be a 3-5-2. Let’s hope we can dominate possession, especially in the attacking third.
It’s going to be a fascinating tie
Both sides yearn for Champions League glory. Both have reached the finals just once. Both failed in different times and eras.
For Arsenal, it is this or nothing. Having lost the title to Liverpool, the UCL is all they have got to play for. Dare I remind you about the Real Madrid tie? How sheer determination, application of ideas, work ethic, and self-belief brought down the European giants—not once, but twice.
This time, we need to take it up one more level, as both sides will give everything to bring home the ultimate prize.
Hopefully, we can play our best game over the next two weeks.
Come on, you Gunners!