Stylish midfield, electric attack: Why Arsenal should fear PSG in Champions League semi-final | OneFootball

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Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals of the Champions League after getting past Real Madrid.

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli struck at the Bernabeu as Arsenal set-up a last four appointment with Paris St Germain following a 5-1 aggregate victory over Real Madrid.

Saka made up for an earlier penalty miss by producing a superb finish to set the Gunners on the path to dispatching the holders 2-1 in the second leg of their quarter-final.

Vinicius Junior replied for Real following a mistake by William Saliba but it was otherwise a comfortable night for Arsenal, who added a second through Martinelli three minutes into added time and were driven on by man-of-the-match Declan Rice.

Here, the PA news agency analyses some of the strengths and weaknesses of the French team.

Attack

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PSG have a dynamic forward lin e (PA)

PSG have emerged as a formidable attacking force in the second half of this season.

With 32 goals for the campaign, Ousmane Dembele is rated as a strong Ballon d’Or contender with considerable further threat coming from the likes of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue.

Full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes are also dangerous and got on the scoresheet against Aston Villa on Tuesday.

Midfield

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Former Wolves player Vitinha is the heartbeat of the PSG midfield (Adam Davy/PA)

The midfield trio of Joao Neves, Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz has been outstanding in PSG’s run to the last four.

They have proved an excellent blend of tenacity and creativity, giving the side a strong measure of control when in possession and having the speed and vision to launch counter-attacks.

Defence

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Gianluigi Donnarumma is tough to beat (Martin Rickett/PA)

If there is a weakness in the PSG side it is at the back.

There were concerns earlier in the campaign around how often Hakimi or Mendes got caught upfield or how effectively the individuals were operating as a unit.

A lot of these seemed to have been allayed during the knockout stages – with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma outstanding – but Villa showed there are perhaps some vulnerabilities that can be exposed.

Manager

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Luis Enrique provides experience on the touchline (Martin Rickett/PA)

Former Barcelona and Spain boss Luis Enrique is now a vastly experienced operator who has moulded a superb team and knows how to set them up for big games.

The big egos have departed and Enrique, through his style of play, commitment to youth and discipline, has changed the mood at the club.

Enrique may have been here before, having won the treble with Barcelona in 2015, but PSG as a club are still to transfer domestic dominance to the European stage.

They may have established themselves as regulars in the knockout stages of the Champions League but they have just one final appearance to show for their efforts, and that was five years ago.

Their relative lack of competition at home is often cited as a problem and, having won Ligue 1 again at a canter, there is a risk of losing sharpness.