PSG star Joao Neves singles out Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya for praise ahead of UCL semi-finals

Gidiweb4 weeks ago

0 0 1 minute read

Arsenal host Paris Saint-Germain in the first-leg of the Champions League semi-finals later today and PSG star Joao Neves has singled out Gunners goalkeeper David Raya for praise ahead of the game.

The Spain international has established himself as one of the best in his position in the world since moving to the North London club in 2023, and he has been crucial to their impressive campaign in Europe thus far.

Neves believes Raya’s ball-playing abilities have improved Arsenal, and the Portuguese is an admirer of his style.

“They have a lot of very good, world-class players, so I cannot choose one,” the PSG midfielder told The Athletic but was full of praise for Raya.

“I love the way he uses his feet to improve Arsenal’s play.”

When asked about the opposing midfielders who have caused him the most problems this season, Neves did not hesitate to mention the Gunners trio of Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Thomas Partey.

“Arsenal, for sure,” he answered.

“One of the best teams. The midfield — Odegaard, Declan Rice, Partey. Amazing players.”

They played key roles against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals but the Ghana international will be unavailable for selection today as a result of a suspension, which could force manager Mikel Arteta to return Mikel Merino to midfield against PSG.

The game today will be influenced by how both midfields fare, and the Gunners boss has to get his selection right.

Given how impressive Merino has been in the final third, Arteta could stick with him as his makeshift number 9 and look to deploy either Myles Lewis-Skelly or Jorginho in midfield.

Ben White is fit to play again and could be returned to right-back, with Jurrien Timber likely to be moved to left-back if the English defender starts tonight.

Arteta has a selection headache to solve as he looks to get the best of PSG in a very crucial first-leg at Emirates Stadium, and he needs to get things right to have a chance of leading Arsenal to the final of the Champions League.