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Pundit Paul Merson has backed Arsenal to secure their place in the Champions League final by securing a victory over Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) over two legs. The north London giants will take on the French giants in the first leg of the semi-finals on Tuesday, April 29, at the Emirates.
Arsenal legend-turned-pundit Paul Merson has claimed that his former club have what it takes to secure a win against PSG. He highlighted that while Luis Enrique's side beat Liverpool and Aston Villa in the last two rounds, they were not quite convincing over two legs.
Merson also highlighted that the Gunners will have the luxury to give their star players rest in league games which hardly any English club gets. With Liverpool having already secured the title, Mikel Arteta's side have nothing to play for in the Premier League. Merson told Sky Sports:
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"I think Arsenal win over two legs. We still get carried away with the PSG of the first leg against Liverpool. When they played at the Parc des Princes, they were outstanding - but they lost that game 1-0, and they were hanging on at Anfield. Then they go and dominate Aston Villa and scored with the last kick of the game, which worked out to be a priceless goal in the end to go 3-1 up. At Villa Park, it got to stages where you're thinking there's only one winner here and that's Aston Villa. They had them on the rack."
The pundit added:
"Arsenal have every chance. I like what's happened [with Arsenal's fixtures] because so many teams we see in Europe put all their league fixtures around the Champions League and here, we don't do that. Probably for the first time for a long time, an English team has got a real nice break before they play this game, which is refreshing."
Arsenal will be playing in the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2008-09 where they lost against Manchester United. If they can win against PSG, they will be up against either Barcelona or Inter Milan in the final at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
Former Arsenal player names Bukayo Saka as the player who can help the Gunners beat PSG
Ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has claimed that Bukayo Saka could play a decisive role in the Gunners' Champions League semi-final against PSG. The first leg of the semi-final will take place at the Emirates on Tuesday, April 29.
Mikel Arteta's side secured a 2-0 win against PSG in the league phase of the competition earlier this season. Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka scored for the north London giants in that game.
Ahead of the game, Aaron Ramsdale has claimed that Saka could help Arsenal overcome PSG once again. The Southampton keeper said, via Metro:
"He’s the main man really. They’ve had a lot of injuries to key players, he’s been out for a long time, but he’s still churning out the performances and getting his stats up. I think that will be a crucial battle between Mendes and Bukayo, but I’ve got every faith that Bukayo comes out on top and he’ll be the one to push Arsenal through."
Saka has missed 23 games this season with injuries which has heavily impacted Mikel Arteta's side. The England international has 11 goals and 14 assists in 31 games across competitions this season.
