Arsenal will be looking to secure all three points when they face Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night at the Emirates Stadium. However, PSG made headlines on Monday by announcing that manager Luis Enrique has left Ousmane Dembélé out of the squad for the trip to North London.
This is a significant blow to PSG’s attack, especially with Dembélé in fine form this season, having racked up four goals and four assists in just seven appearances across all competitions.
Mikel Arteta likely had plans to counter Dembélé’s threat, but the Arsenal boss has shared his thoughts on what he expects from the Parisians in this crucial matchup. Nonetheless, the Spanish tactician highlighted a key characteristic that should concern the Gunners’ defense.
“They’re really tough,” Arteta said at his press conference on Monday. “They are exceptional, an exceptional and unbelievable team. They dominate every phase of play, and they have a very clear intention of how they want to dominate the game through the ball, and when they don’t have it, they want the ball straight back.
“They are really aggressive with it and they confront you. Everywhere they play, no matter the opposition or the context that’s the way Luis Enrique’s PSG do it.”
Arsenal head into this match on the back of two straight wins last week, defeating Bolton Wanderers and Leicester City. It’ll be interesting to see if they can capitalize on a squad missing Dembélé.