Champions League latest LIVE: Arsenal and PSG set for semi-final showdown – latest
Summary
Live Reporting
Sean Kearns, Ben Ramsdale, Alex Brotherton & Sean Byrne. Edited by Murray Burnell.
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get involved Get Involvedpublished at 11:46 British Summer Time
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Did Anon 11.31 mean Ryan 8.31? Ben 7.58 seemed reasonable to me, who’s stupid now 😄
Will 11.38
I think Anon’s comment was aimed at Jay, who quoted Ben in his comment.
Steve (thankfully not Ben)
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Focus – Ousmane Dembelepublished at 11:37 British Summer Time
Arsenal v Paris St-Germain (20:00 BST)
Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalistIf there is one player Arsenal really need to keep quiet on Tuesday, then it’s Ousmane Dembele.
The 27-year-old has enjoyed his best season by far since his failed £135.5m move from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona in 2017, so much so that he will be in the Ballon d’Or conversation.
Dembele has scored 32 goals and provided 10 assists in 44 games in all competitions this season, though he is currently experiencing a dip in form.
The French World Cup winner has scored just two goals in his last seven outings, with both coming against second division opposition in the Coupe de France.
That said, you wouldn’t bet against him causing Arsenal’s back line problems at the Emirates.
Image source, Getty Images -
Postpublished at 11:34 British Summer Time
Ben Ramsdale
BBC SportI read this at first and started flapping wondering what silly thing I’d gone and done now but then realised it wasn’t aimed at me. Makes a change.
However I have read my fellow Ben’s post at 7:58 and you’ve confused me, Anon.
He was suggesting Arsenal had knocked the best team in the competition out – not that they hadn’t beaten anyone of significance. The exact opposite!
I shall defend you, fellow Ben.
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get involved Get Involvedpublished at 11:31 British Summer Time
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Tell Ben who made that stupid comment at 07.58 this morning about Arsenal not beating anyone of any significance highlighting Real Madrid that I would have liked to seen his team deal with those white shirts?! Real have won it 15 times and didn’t win because of a superb performance by Arsenal not because they are a nothing side. Educate yourself Ben !
Anon
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Remarkable PSG not quite at their peakpublished at 11:24 British Summer Time
Arsenal v Paris St-Germain (20:00 BST)
Matthew Upson
Former Arsenal defender on BBC Radio 5 LivePSG’s energy has been remarkable, certainly not the trait you’d associate with PSG teams in the past.
The way they get after the ball, make tackles, running out of possession. I think it’s going to be a fantastic game and hopefully really entertaining.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia does things that are highly unusual at times, he’s super positive, very agresive with his decision making when he goes at players.
He looks ways to casual [with his socks rolled down], he lures you in to thinking he’s having a quiet time!
PSG 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.
They’ve had a bit of a dip, Dembele isn’t banging the goals in every time he’s in front of goal. But he’s had an exceptional season converted into that central role.
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Focus – Desire Douepublished at 11:18 British Summer Time
Arsenal v Paris St-Germain (20:00 BST)
Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalistNobody really saw Desire Doue reaching the heights he has done at PSG after making a £43m move from Rennes last summer, but maybe they should have done.
After all, his name translates to ‘desire gifted’ in English.
The 19-year-old has certainly shown his quality in the Champions League this season – he was brilliant in PSG’s 4-2 defeat of Manchester City in January, scored the decisive penalty in the shootout win against Liverpool in March, and scored a stunning equaliser while running Aston Villa ragged in the quarter-final first leg.
With 13 goals and 13 assists in all competitions this season, Doue is well on the way to becoming one of the best attackers on the planet.
Arsenal beware.
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‘They are young and have a lot of intensity’published at 11:13 British Summer Time
Arsenal v Paris St-Germain (20:00 BST)
Julien Laurens
European football expert on BBC Radio 5 LiveThe PSG team has been this good so far because they are pulling away from signing the marquee signings, the big egos. They are looking at how to build a team rather than just adding individual talents. This team is so good because of that.They’re young, they have a lot of intensity. They play some lovely football and that is why people like them, which is new because people didn’t like PSG before.
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get involved Get Involvedpublished at 11:06 British Summer Time
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RE: Jay 9:12 – if we’re bringing group stage form into play, PSG didn’t exactly set the world on fire. We all know they’ve already been beaten at the Emirates this season, and they themselves only ‘scraped’ though by only two points and lost three games themselves. I’m under no illusion that both tonight and next Wednesday will be difficult, but I’m hoping playing as a solid unit as we did over the two games against Madrid will see us though.
Neil in Nottingham
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Focus – Khvicha Kvaratskheliapublished at 11:00 British Summer Time
Arsenal v Paris St-Germain (20:00 BST)
Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalistKhvicha Kvaratskhelia shot to fame during Napoli’s historic Serie A triumph in 2022-23, but in January this year he decided to take the next step in his career by joining Paris St-Germain.
The Georgian winger has started 17 of the 21 games he has been involved in since his move – reportedly worth £59m plus add-ons – while his impact on the pitch has been greater than his modest goals and assists (four and five in all competitions respectively) suggests.
His energy, direct dribbling ability and creativity on the ball are his greatest strengths, while his cannon of a right foot has left many goalkeepers helpless.
Still only 24 years old, Kvara looks set to get even better in Paris.
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‘PSG sometimes forget you can’t switch off in games of this calibre’published at 10:52 British Summer Time
Arsenal v Paris St-Germain (20:00 BST)
Julien Laurens
European football expert on BBC Radio 5 LiveThe second half at Villa Park was disappointing for PSG. I think this is still a young team, this is the second youngest next to Barcelona with just a month between them. They sometimes forget that you can’t switch off in games of this calibre. In Ligue 1 you can do it because they are so much better than everyone else. But in the Champions League if you take things for granted then you will pay for it. I really hope they learn from Villa Park, I think they will be a better team then that second half against Aston Villa.
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Postpublished at 10:48 British Summer Time
Ben Ramsdale
BBC SportYou just wait until Arsenal win the lot and I’m making you send pictures in of your pets in Arsenal shirts, Daniel.
Then you’ll love it even more. Or hate it. And me.
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get involved Get Involvedpublished at 10:46 British Summer Time
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You have gotta love football.Yesterday was all about Liverpool. But today all is forgotten and Arsenal are the toast of the town.Vamos!!!
Daniel
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‘Partey has forced Arteta to reshuffle’published at 10:39 British Summer Time
Arsenal v Paris St-Germain (20:00 BST)
Matthew Upson
Former Arsenal defender on BBC Radio 5 LiveThe bit that’s going to be great is the midfield battle. It’s such a shame that Thomas Partey got that silly yellow card against Real Madrid.
It forced Mikel 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.
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get involved Get Involvedpublished at 10:33 British Summer Time
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I have a horrible feeling that Partey’s foolish yellow card against Madrid might cost us. His absence means Rice has to play defensively. I hope I’m proven wrong.
Rik from Missenden
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Watch live: The Football News Showpublished at 10:30 British Summer Time
Watch The Football News Show live on this page now!
Senior football news reporter Alex Howell will be joined by Spanish football expert Semra Hunter and BBC football correspondent Sami Mokbel as they look ahead to this weeks Champions League fixtures, including Arsenal v PSG tonight.
The team will also look ahead to Thursday’s Europa League semi-final clashes featuring both Spurs and Man Utd.
You can follow all of this by clicking the ‘watch live’ button at the top of this page.
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‘If you keep him quiet, the whole PSG team suffers’published at 10:23 British Summer Time
Arsenal v Paris St-Germain (20:00 BST)
Julien Laurens
European football expert on BBC Radio 5 LiveFor PSG, the key player will be Vitinha. He’s the key cog in this incredible team. But he hasn’t been as good as he was against Liverpool in the last two or three weeks. If you keep him under pressure and quiet, then the whole PSG team suffers. Him and Ousmane Dembele are the two most important players.
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The teams: then v nowpublished at 10:17 British Summer Time
Arsenal v Paris St-Germain (20:00 BST)
Image source, Getty ImagesArsenal’s team this evening will look slightly different to the one that beat Paris St-Germain 2-0 during the league phase back in October.
Mikel Arteta’s side will, at the very least, likely have four different starters to the one that started six months ago.
Thomas Partey (suspended), Gabriel, Kai Havertz and Riccardo Calafiori all played in October and will all be missing either through injury or suspension, while Gabriel Jesus, who was introduced as a substitute, will also miss out through injury.
While Arsenal are weakened, PSG are the opposite.
Ousmane Dembele was not part of the squad that travelled to London in October due to disciplinary reasons but is almost certain to start on Tuesday.
Luis Enrique will also be able to call on January signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The tricky winger has been a revelation since his arrival from Napoli and strengthens and already exciting PSG forward line.
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get involved Get Involvedpublished at 10:11 British Summer Time
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PSG have been bigged up a bit too much. An excellent side but Villa beat them, Liverpool created but didn’t take multiple chances at Anfield against them and they got battered by Nice the other day.
Rich, London
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PSG different team to last meetingpublished at 09:50 British Summer Time
Arsenal v Paris St-Germain (20:00 BST)
Image source, Getty ImagesAs Luis Enrique said during his pre-match press conference, this PSG side is not the same one that lost back in September.
That defeat was the French champions first in four Champions League games, a run that left their hopes of progressing to the knockout rounds hanging in the balance.
PSG have really come into their own since the turn of the year though, with the form of Ousmane Dembele, the January arrival of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and the emergence of teenager Desire Doue transforming their front line into one of the most potent in Europe.
Their midfield isn’t bad either – the trio of Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha and Joao Neves provides a near-perfect balance of creativity, work-rate and defensive nouse.
