Mikel Arteta was handed a major boost ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain on Monday with Mikel Merino fit enough to train, likely clarifying the shape of the starting XI that will take to the field in the semifinal first leg on Tuesday night.
Merino had missed the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace on Wednesday for unconfirmed reasons, but both he and Ben White, another absentee last week, were able to play a full part in open training on Monday afternoon. As such, the 28 year old Merino is highly likely to start as Arteta looks to build a midfield that can outmuscle the technical qualities of his opposition.
The injuries and suspensions that have stalked Arsenal this season show no signs of easing at the Emirates Stadium. A foolish late clash with Antonio Rudiger means Thomas Partey is suspended for the first leg. His place at the base of midfield will likely be taken by Declan Rice with Jorginho expected to miss much of the remainder of the season with a rib injury.
That is expected to mean Leandro Trossard leading the line in the only change from the XI that beat Real Madrid home and away. Arsenal remain without a string of key figures: Gabriel Magalhaes, Kai Havertz (both hamstring), Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu (both knee). There remain hopes that Riccardo Calafiori could recover from his knee issue in time for the second leg next Wednesday in Paris.
For PSG the equation is more straightforward. Indeed there is probably only one significant question facing Luis Enrique, who has a fully fit squad to choose from. Does he start Bradley Barcola or Desire Doue alongside Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele in the front three? The former offers perhaps greater unpredictability to shape of the Parisians’ attack — both he and Kvaratskhelia love occupying the left flank — but it is Doue that has been preferred lately.
Whoever makes up the front three, the rest of the team might as well be set in stone providing there are no injuries. Since the end of the league phase only 13 players have started Champions League games for PSG, a number that would be one lower if Lucas Beraldo had not had to replace the suspended Marquinhos in the 3-1 win against Aston Villa.
Predicted teams
Arsenal: David Raya; Jurien Timber, Wlliam Saliba, Jakub Kiwior, Myles Lewis-Skelly; Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Mikel Merino; Bakayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli
PSG: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha, FabianRuiz ; Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Bryson Stott scores on a wild pitch from Kyle Finnegan, securing the Phillies’ 7-6 win over Nationals
Major League Baseball Video Details Bryson Stott scored on a wild pitch from Kyle Finnegan, securing the Philadelphia Phillies' 7-6 win over Washington Nationals. JUST IN・Major League Baseball・0:11
Pacers eliminate Bucks from playoffs in brutal fashion, closing OT with 8-0 run
<!--> Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers stole one from the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.Indiana forced two turnovers in the final 29 seconds of overtime, and Haliburton blew past Giannis Antetokounmpo for the go-ahead layup with 1.3 seconds left to give the Pacers a 119-118 victory and a 4-1 series win.The Pacers closed the game with an 8-0 run over the final 40 seconds of OT to eliminate the Bucks in the first round for the second straight season. They will face top-seeded Cleveland in the Eastern Conference semifinals.ADVERTISEMENT -->Haliburton had 26 points and 10 assists as he improved to 9-0 in home playoff games. This chippy playoff series ended fittingly with a shoving match between the teams at midcourt.Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP, tried to will the short-handed Bucks to victory, finishing with 30 points, 20 rebounds and 13 […]
Blue Jays’ Daulton Varsho falls, makes behind-the-back grab to rob Red Sox’s Jarren Duran of hit
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho pulled off an improbable play that is immediately up for catch of the year.In the top of the fourth inning, Boston Red Sox leadoff hitter Jarren Duran hit a fly ball toward the wall in center field. Varsho ran toward the wall but tripped at the warning track, rolled, got up on one knee and tracked the ball before sticking his glove behind his back to catch it.The incredible play comes after the Blue Jays activated Varsho off the injured list earlier in the day to make his season debut. The reigning Gold Glove winner missed the first 28 games of the season while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. HOW— pic.twitter.com/ianiIVKdWe — MLB (@MLB) April 30, 2025Last season, Varsho hit .214/.293/.407 with 58 RBIs in 136 games with Toronto. He’s in his third year […]
Milton Neves indica técnico para seleção brasileira após negativa de Ancelotti: “Nada de Jorge Jesus”
Jorge Jesus, técnico do Al-Hilal (Divulgação/X @Alhilal_FC) Milton Neves lamentou o fim das conversas entre CBF e Carlo Ancelotti. Logo após um impasse entre o técnico italiano e o Real Madrid para a sua liberação, as partes optaram por não dar prosseguimento na negociação. O jornalista não escondeu sua frustração com a vinda de Ancelotti, até então encaminhada, não ter evoluído. “Era bom demais para ser verdade!”, exclamou em seu blog no UOL. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Na visão do colunista, o treinador europeu é um dos melhores do mundo e sua vinda para a seleção brasileira visando a Copa do Mundo 2026 seria um grande acréscimo para o escrete canarinho. Milton Neves faz coro por Abel Ferreira Deste modo, Miltão ressaltou sua rejeição ao nome de Jorge Jesus. Assim, voltou a pedir Abel Ferreira como o sucessor de Dorival Júnior, mandando […]
Milton Neves indica técnico para seleção brasileira após negativa de Ancelotti: “Nada de Jorge Jesus”
Jorge Jesus, técnico do Al-Hilal (Divulgação/X @Alhilal_FC) Milton Neves lamentou o fim das conversas entre CBF e Carlo Ancelotti. Logo após um impasse entre o técnico italiano e o Real Madrid para a sua liberação, as partes optaram por não dar prosseguimento na negociação. O jornalista não escondeu sua frustração com a vinda de Ancelotti, até então encaminhada, não ter evoluído. “Era bom demais para ser verdade!”, exclamou em seu blog no UOL. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Na visão do colunista, o treinador europeu é um dos melhores do mundo e sua vinda para a seleção brasileira visando a Copa do Mundo 2026 seria um grande acréscimo para o escrete canarinho. Milton Neves faz coro por Abel Ferreira Deste modo, Miltão ressaltou sua rejeição ao nome de Jorge Jesus. Assim, voltou a pedir Abel Ferreira como o sucessor de Dorival Júnior, mandando […]
Aided by epic Bucks collapse, Pacers advance with thrilling OT win
An incredible Game 5 collapse by the Milwaukee Bucks stunned NBA fans Tuesday night as Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers closed out their first-round playoff series with a dramatic 119-118 overtime victory.The Bucks held a 20-point lead early in the game, only to see the Pacers battle back and eventually force overtime. Milwaukee then built a seven-point lead in the extra period before falling apart.AdvertisementIndiana’s stunning turnaround began with 40 seconds left in OT and Milwaukee leading, 118-111. After corralling a rebound off a missed free throw, Pacers forward Pascal Siakam passed it to guard Andrew Nembhard for a deep 3 to cut the deficit to four and force a Bucks timeout. Nembhard added to his heroics with a steal shortly after the inbounds pass, setting the stage for Haliburton.A timely and-1 by Haliburton after a foul on Bucks […]
Related
Bryson Stott scores on a wild pitch from Kyle Finnegan, securing the Phillies’ 7-6 win over Nationals
Major League Baseball Video Details Bryson Stott scored on a wild pitch from Kyle Finnegan, securing the Philadelphia Phillies' 7-6 win over Washington Nationals. JUST IN・Major League Baseball・0:11
Pacers eliminate Bucks from playoffs in brutal fashion, closing OT with 8-0 run
<!--> Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers stole one from the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.Indiana forced two turnovers in the final 29 seconds of overtime, and Haliburton blew past Giannis Antetokounmpo for the go-ahead layup with 1.3 seconds left to give the Pacers a 119-118 victory and a 4-1 series win.The Pacers closed the game with an 8-0 run over the final 40 seconds of OT to eliminate the Bucks in the first round for the second straight season. They will face top-seeded Cleveland in the Eastern Conference semifinals.ADVERTISEMENT -->Haliburton had 26 points and 10 assists as he improved to 9-0 in home playoff games. This chippy playoff series ended fittingly with a shoving match between the teams at midcourt.Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP, tried to will the short-handed Bucks to victory, finishing with 30 points, 20 rebounds and 13 […]
Blue Jays’ Daulton Varsho falls, makes behind-the-back grab to rob Red Sox’s Jarren Duran of hit
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho pulled off an improbable play that is immediately up for catch of the year.In the top of the fourth inning, Boston Red Sox leadoff hitter Jarren Duran hit a fly ball toward the wall in center field. Varsho ran toward the wall but tripped at the warning track, rolled, got up on one knee and tracked the ball before sticking his glove behind his back to catch it.The incredible play comes after the Blue Jays activated Varsho off the injured list earlier in the day to make his season debut. The reigning Gold Glove winner missed the first 28 games of the season while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. HOW— pic.twitter.com/ianiIVKdWe — MLB (@MLB) April 30, 2025Last season, Varsho hit .214/.293/.407 with 58 RBIs in 136 games with Toronto. He’s in his third year […]
Milton Neves indica técnico para seleção brasileira após negativa de Ancelotti: “Nada de Jorge Jesus”
Jorge Jesus, técnico do Al-Hilal (Divulgação/X @Alhilal_FC) Milton Neves lamentou o fim das conversas entre CBF e Carlo Ancelotti. Logo após um impasse entre o técnico italiano e o Real Madrid para a sua liberação, as partes optaram por não dar prosseguimento na negociação. O jornalista não escondeu sua frustração com a vinda de Ancelotti, até então encaminhada, não ter evoluído. “Era bom demais para ser verdade!”, exclamou em seu blog no UOL. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Na visão do colunista, o treinador europeu é um dos melhores do mundo e sua vinda para a seleção brasileira visando a Copa do Mundo 2026 seria um grande acréscimo para o escrete canarinho. Milton Neves faz coro por Abel Ferreira Deste modo, Miltão ressaltou sua rejeição ao nome de Jorge Jesus. Assim, voltou a pedir Abel Ferreira como o sucessor de Dorival Júnior, mandando […]
Milton Neves indica técnico para seleção brasileira após negativa de Ancelotti: “Nada de Jorge Jesus”
Jorge Jesus, técnico do Al-Hilal (Divulgação/X @Alhilal_FC) Milton Neves lamentou o fim das conversas entre CBF e Carlo Ancelotti. Logo após um impasse entre o técnico italiano e o Real Madrid para a sua liberação, as partes optaram por não dar prosseguimento na negociação. O jornalista não escondeu sua frustração com a vinda de Ancelotti, até então encaminhada, não ter evoluído. “Era bom demais para ser verdade!”, exclamou em seu blog no UOL. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Na visão do colunista, o treinador europeu é um dos melhores do mundo e sua vinda para a seleção brasileira visando a Copa do Mundo 2026 seria um grande acréscimo para o escrete canarinho. Milton Neves faz coro por Abel Ferreira Deste modo, Miltão ressaltou sua rejeição ao nome de Jorge Jesus. Assim, voltou a pedir Abel Ferreira como o sucessor de Dorival Júnior, mandando […]
Aided by epic Bucks collapse, Pacers advance with thrilling OT win
An incredible Game 5 collapse by the Milwaukee Bucks stunned NBA fans Tuesday night as Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers closed out their first-round playoff series with a dramatic 119-118 overtime victory.The Bucks held a 20-point lead early in the game, only to see the Pacers battle back and eventually force overtime. Milwaukee then built a seven-point lead in the extra period before falling apart.AdvertisementIndiana’s stunning turnaround began with 40 seconds left in OT and Milwaukee leading, 118-111. After corralling a rebound off a missed free throw, Pacers forward Pascal Siakam passed it to guard Andrew Nembhard for a deep 3 to cut the deficit to four and force a Bucks timeout. Nembhard added to his heroics with a steal shortly after the inbounds pass, setting the stage for Haliburton.A timely and-1 by Haliburton after a foul on Bucks […]
Be the first to leave a comment