Arsene Wenger reveals huge Arsenal advantage over PSG ahead of Champions League showdown
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Former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger believes the Gunners have a crucial psychological advantage over Paris Saint-Germain heading into their UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg in Paris.
PSG head into Wednesday night’s clash with a slender 1-0 lead, thanks to an early strike from Ousmane Dembélé in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium. The French forward silenced the home crowd just four minutes in, and while the Ligue 1 champions dominated large spells of the game, Arsenal had chances to level through Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, only to be denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Late opportunities for Bradley Barcola and Gonçalo Ramos went begging for PSG, keeping the tie finely poised despite Arsenal’s current three-match winless run in all competitions.
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Speaking to beIN SPORTS, Wenger highlighted what he sees as a key difference between the two teams: mindset. “The advantage for Arsenal is the mental problem is easy – they have to go and play to win,” he said. “The mental problem for PSG is: do we play to win this game, or protect our advantage and play on the counter-attack?”
Wenger warned that such a defensive approach would be contrary to PSG’s identity. “If they decide to protect their advantage, it’s a little bit against the DNA of the team,” he added. “Luis Enrique must be very clear in his message, because not everyone in the squad may align with a passive approach.”
The Gunners had previously beaten PSG 2-0 in the group stage back in October, a match in which Dembélé was absent due to disciplinary action from Enrique for lateness. Wenger noted that this punishment proved to be a turning point for the former Barcelona star.
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“When you listen to Luis Enrique, he says the best decision he made was to punish him that day,” Wenger said. “It transformed him into a different player.”
The Frenchman also praised the evolution of PSG’s midfield, highlighting Vitinha’s growing influence alongside Joao Neves and Fabian Ruiz, as well as the attacking threat from full-backs Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi.
However, PSG now face a fitness concern over Dembélé. The winger complained of tightness in his right hamstring after the first leg and missed Saturday’s Ligue 1 defeat to Strasbourg. He is reportedly in a race against time to be fit for the decisive second leg at the Parc des Princes.
With a place in the final at stake, all eyes will be on how both sides approach the high-stakes encounter – and whether Arsenal can overturn the narrow deficit in their bid for European glory.
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