Play the game which got us here…

Morning all.

Possibly the most ridiculous question Arsenal fans were asked yesterday was “Are Arsenal going to win the Champions League?” Imagine if one of them had replied “No, because PSG are too good.”

Do I think Arsenal can beat PSG? Yes I do if every player Mikel Arteta selects, including substitutes, hits peak form for 90+ minutes. The reigning champions are beatable as Chelsea proved last summer and other clubs have in the early stages of the competition this season and domestically and I’m sure this week, Arteta will have studied those games as he conjures up his approach to tonight’s match.

Logic suggests be strong defensively, mark Dembele out of the game, Kvaratskhelia too because both are the French team’s dangerous players. Not that the others are weaker of course but those two always seem to be hitting the headlines.

The midfield battle will be crucial too so whether it is Myles Lewis-Skelly or Martin Zubimendi who partner’s Declan Rice, they have a big job on their hands. Stopping the supply to Dembele and Kvaratskhelia is paramount.

Three of the back five are nonnegotiable in my opinion but the two fullback positions are not as clear. Will Jurrien Timber or Cristhiain Mosquera start on the right? Will it be Riccardo Calafiori or Piero Hincapie on the left? My hunch is Timber and Calafiori, at least until Timber has played 50 odd minutes and if Calafiori picks up a booking. Ideally, he will not, but he so often does.

I think Martin Odegaard will get the nod over Ebe Eze for this one. I hope Viktor Gyokeres starts up front and I think he will. European football has his name all over it, especially against a team which likes to play on the front foot. I think Arteta will continue with Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard either side of him.

The season has already been an excellent one for Arsenal but tonight presents an opportunity to do something do do something even better. An opportunity to complete a what would be a remarkable “process” under Mikel Arteta. For now though, it is just an opportunity albeit one which every Arsenal fan would absolutely love to see taken.

So far, Arsenal have been the standout club in the competition and that is not being arrogant, results prove how good this group of players have been. Not having to face a “low block” in each game has made for more entertaining and exciting football. Until the semifinal anyway.

PSG’s journey through the competition has not been quite as easy, needing a playoff to reach the knockout stages but like Arsenal, they came through a tough semi-final, albeit they conceded a few goals over the two legs. It’s conceding those goals which gives me hope for tonight because regardless of who starts up front, there should be plenty of space for them to work their magic. In fact, the same applies to any player who finds himself in and around the box. We, and by we I of course mean the Arsenal, just need to be clinical when chances do arise.

PSG know how to win big matches, last year’s semi-final and final is proof of that, but we can not forget the chances we created against them. We are in my opinion, stronger this time around. We had no Kai Havertz, Gabriel, Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori, Martin Zubimendi and Myles Lewis-Skelly was at left back. We had academy players on the bench, as well as Raheem Sterling!

Arsene Wenger:

I want this trophy to go to Emirates Stadium because it’s missing there. We touched it before – we were 13 minutes away from winning it – so you want it to happen this time.

I’ve always said that you work in a club to make sure it’s in a good position to continue to progress. Overall, I believe this is a stage where we can grab it. I still believe it’s 50/50 in the final, and if I had to bet, I would bet on Arsenal more than on Paris Saint-Germain.

The players trained yesterday and Mikel Arteta spoke to the media too. Everyone bar Ben White is fit and available which suggests Jurrien Timber might start.

Whoever starts, I hope they go onto the pitch remembering all they have done and how they have played to get here. They wholeheartedly deserve to be in this final because they’ve earned it. Just go out there tonight and play the game they will have been working on all week. Play with belief and freedom. Go and do to PSG what they did against us last year. Win.. 

Good luck Mikel, good luck to the players. 

Catch up in the comments.