Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has warned that Paris Saint-Germain will pose a fresh challenge in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, despite the Gunners’ earlier 2-0 victory over the French side in the group stage.
Following Arsenal’s 5-1 aggregate dismantling of Real Madrid, attention now shifts to a high-stakes showdown with Ligue 1 champions PSG—who have already eliminated two Premier League teams, Liverpool and Aston Villa, on their way to the last four.
Speaking after the win in Madrid, Arteta praised PSG’s form and cautioned that the upcoming encounter would be vastly different from their previous meeting at the Emirates, where Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka scored to secure the win for Arsenal.
“I watched the game [against Villa] last night. Crazy game. Anything can happen in this competition. They are an incredible team,” Arteta told reporters. “We have experience against them, but they are a different team now. They’re on an incredible run. But we showed tonight we can compete against anyone.”
The Arsenal boss acknowledged the difficulty of the road ahead but expressed confidence in his side’s ability to reach the final.
“We want to be in that final. We’ll have to work so hard, but we are capable of doing it,” he said.
Arsenal are now just two matches away from reaching their first Champions League final since 2006, as they prepare for what promises to be a thrilling clash with PSG.
