Arsenal vs PSG LIVE SCORE: Champions League semi-final updates as Gunners host French giants in first leg – stream FREE

Gunners’ good omen

Arsenal have a positive omen going into this evening’s huge match against Paris Saint-Germain.

The Gunners host PSG in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals at the Emirates Stadium.

They previously hosted the Ligue 1 champions in the group stage six months ago.

Goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka saw Arsenal win 2-0 at home.

Mikel Arteta will now be hoping for a similar result tonight.

And the Spaniard has received what many superstitious fans may consider a good omen in the build-up.

Slavko Vincic – the man who officiated the last match between Arsenal and PSG back in October – will be the referee tonight.

Reminder

All players who were previously on a suspension tightrope during the quarter-finals are now not after all existing yellow cards are wiped after the last-8 stage.

Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Martinelli all survived suspension by avoiding a booking during the second leg of their tie with Real Madrid.

Thomas Partey did receive his third booking of the Champions League campaign against Los Blancos, meaning he will miss tonight’s first leg against PSG.

Arteta: ‘One of the biggest games the Emirates has seen’

The Arsenal boss spoke about the excitement around North London ahead of tonight’s blockbuster first leg, he said: “=”You sense the energy, the enthusiasm, that it’s something unique.

“It’s probably one of the biggest games that the Emirates has seen since we built it. We are making history. It’s a beautiful story right now, but we want much more.

“We have to have the feeling that we have to hold [the players] back tomorrow to go on that pitch and express themselves. It’s a moment now to say: ‘OK, this is who we are, this is who we are as a team, this is who I am as an individual and I’m going to put my very best in there to make it happen’.

“Play with that mindset and let yourself go. Live the now, the present. This is where we are. We are so fortunate.”

Tonight’s officials

Referee: Slavko Vincic
Assistants: Tomaz Klancnik, Andraz Kovacic
Fourth official: Matej Jug
VAR: Alen Borosak
Assistant VAR: Dennis Higler

When Arsenal last faced PSG

Arsenal’s 2-0 twin against PSG was their first Champions League win of the season.

Kai Havertz put the Gunners in front on 20 minutes, getting on the end of a superb cross from Leandro Trossard.

Before Bukayo Saka doubled Arsenal’s lead after his wide free-kick avoided everyone in the box and flew straight past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Donn their homework

Italian star Gianluigi Donnarumma is seen as one of the best keepers in the world — but Arsenal will target him writes SunSport’s Charlie Wyett

Charlie wrote: “The Paris Saint-Germain No 1, 26, broke England’s hearts at Euro 2020.

He helped dump Liverpool out of the last 16 of this year’s Champions League and then frustrated Aston Villa in the quarter-finals.

Donnarumma has now played over 400 senior games but there is concern over his inability to deal with corners and crosses.

He can also be suspect with the ball at his feet.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is certain to tell his players to fire crosses into the box and they will look to make the most of their set-pieces.

Donnarumma’s shortcomings were exposed in the 2-0 loss at Arsenal in the group stages in October.

The Gunners’ first goal saw a hesitant Donnarumma beaten as Kai Havertz anticipated a cross from Leandro Trossard and nodded in.

Donnarumma was beaten again when Bukayo Saka’s low free-kick from the right went straight under him.

The Italian’s view of the ball may have been obscured, but there seemed to be no talking between Donnarumma and his defenders.”

Last time out for the Gunners

Arsenal secured their spot in the Champions League semi-finals with a 5-1 aggregate win over Real Madrid

In the first half, Thibaut Courtois denied Bukayo Saka from the penalty spot after a lengthy VAR check handed the Gunners a spot kick on 13 minutes.

Real were given a penalty of their own minutes later for a Declan Rice foul on Kylian Mbappe, but the referee decided against his initial decision after going to the monitor, and Arsenal survived.

Just after the hour mark, Saka opened the scoring on the night with a superb dinked finish, but the Gunners’ four-goal aggregate lead didn’t last long.

A William Saliba howler gave Vinicius Jr an open goal – and the Brazilian made no mistake.

In stoppage time, Gabriel Martinelli put the gloss on his side’s spectacular display with a stunning finish to give the North London giants a 2-1 win (agg 5-1) at the Bernabeu.

Arsenal are now in their first Champions League semi-final since 2009.

Gunner fly

Speaking of Leandro Trossard, jet-setting snooker star Luca Brecel has thanked the Belgian for giving him advice on the top continental private plane firm to book.

Brecel,30, is close pals with the Arsenal winger, also 30, and will be rooting for him tonight in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.

On Saturday afternoon, the maverick potter took a private jet from Belgium to the UK on the day of his last 16 Crucible match with Ding Junhui.

The 2023 world snooker champion set off from Maastricht in Holland and landed at East Midlands Airport at 3.17pm.

From there he jumped in a car for the hour-long journey up to Sheffield but he was cutting it fine with the flying, especially if there had been an issue with weather or a no-land order by airport control officials.

Brecel rented the aircraft for the 68-minute flight because he wanted to spend Friday night in his own bed in Maasmechelen.

His arrival on English soil was only three-and-a-half hours before he faced Ding in the first session but it did not affect his display – he led 7-1 by the close of play.

How Arsenal could lineup without Partey

With Partey’s like-for-like replacement Jorginho also being injured, Mikel Arteta will more than likely drop Declan Rice in the six role and bring Mikel Merino back into the eight role.

This would mean a start for Leandro Trossard up top who has been in hot goal-scoring form.

Predicted starting XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Merino, Odegaard; Martinelli, Saka, Trossard