After an unexpected victory (1-0) against Girona on the first day, Paris Saint-Germain will have to raise the level by visiting Arsenal this Tuesday at 7 p.m. UT. It will be without one of his strong men, Ousmane Dembélé, dismissed by his trainer Luis Enrique.
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This time, the Arsenal mountain promises to be bigger than the small Girona hill that PSG had great difficulty climbing two weeks ago. The Parisian club is heading into its second Champions League match this season with its domestic certainties; a leading position with five victories and a draw in six days, but also doubts about his ability to really dream bigger, of a trophy which he still lacks.
The Parisians, who lost Neymar, Messi, Mbappé, in two years, have won as a collective for most observers, but on Tuesday, they will face a team which is one step ahead. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal is indeed a good example of collective play served by individuals among the best Premier League players like Saka, Saliba or Odegarrd, even if he is currently injured. The Arsenal project, currently third in the Premier League and vice-champion of England for the last two seasons behind the untouchable Manchester City, is one of those which aims for victory and can be labeled: favorites.
As much, despite a home match, the Gunners coach, former Parisian, Mikel Arteta is wary and does not hesitate to praise his opponents. “They are very strong, they are exceptional, it is an exceptional team. They dominate all phases of the game, it’s a team that has very clear intentions, that wants to dominate the ball,” Arsenal’s Spanish coach said on Monday.
But the task will not be easy for Marquinhos and his friends, deprived of Ousmane Dembélé, not retained by Luis Enrique following a “ technical decision “. But PSG recovers Vitinha, Donnarumma, Mendes, Asensio and Doué.
After Arsenal, PSG’s program promises to be just as exciting in this new Champions League format which will see the Parisian club meet PSV Eindhoven, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Salzburg, Manchester City and Stuttgart.
Ousmane Demblé sanctioned
French PSG striker Ousmane Dembélé was not called up for Tuesday’s trip to Arsenal following a “technical decision” by Luis Enrique. The absence of the 27-year-old, who is not injured, is a technical decision by coach Luis Enrique, who chose not to call up Dembélé following a tense exchange between him and the Frenchman after the victory against Rennes (3- 1) Friday, according to this source, confirming information from RMC. With this surprise decision, the coach also wanted to send a message to the locker room, because the former Barcelona player now has the highest salary in the squad, the source also explained. During the match against Rennes, the Parisian coach seemed annoyed on several occasions that Ousmane Dembélé chose the individual option on certain actions, even if he delivered an assist to Bradley Barcola. “ We have just heard the news, we will prepare as we always do for all eventualities and we will see, but it is obvious that they have many other options », Reacted Gunners coach Mikel Arteta at a press conference.
The program for the second day of the Champions League
Tuesday 1er october
4:45 p.m.: RB Salzburg-Brest
4:45 p.m.: Stuttgart-Sparta Prague
7 p.m.: Arsenal-PSG
7 p.m.: Bayer Leverkusen-AC Milan
7 p.m.: Borussia Dortmund-Celtic Glasgow
7 p.m.: Slovan Bratislava-Manchester City
7 p.m.: FC Barcelona-Young Boys Bern
7 p.m.: Inter Milan-Red Star Belgrade
7 p.m.: PSV Eindhoven-Sporting Portugal
Wednesday October 2
4:45 p.m.: Shakhtar Donetsk-Atalanta Bergamo
4:45 p.m.: Girona-Feyenoord Rotterdam
7 p.m.: Lille-Real Madrid
7 p.m.: Dinamo Zagreb-Monaco
7 p.m.: Aston Villa-Bayern Munich
7 p.m.: Benfica-Atlético Madrid
7 p.m.: Liverpool-Bologna
7 p.m.: RB Leipzig-Juventus Turin
7 p.m.: Sturm Graz-Bruges