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Alan Shearer believes that the return of Arsenal's midfielder Thomas Partey will make a difference in their clash against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Partey was suspended for accumulation of bookings during the first leg on April 29, in which the Gunners suffered a 1-0 loss to the Parisians.
Speaking on Gary Lineker's The Rest Is Football, Shearer was questioned on what the Gunners need to do to overcome PSG. He said (via Football365):
“Well, they’ll have Thomas Partey back, that’ll be a huge difference. If Partey is playing last (Tuesday) night, I don’t think Dembele gets that space that he’s got for that goal. I think Partey would have been in that position."
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He added:
“They were – with it being so early on, they were in two minds, where the centre-half goes right in there with him tight, and they just didn’t get the press right. PSG, with their quality, they beat the press with ease, and it was brilliant the way they did it. I really don’t think that happens if Partey is playing, and that will be a huge difference next week.”
In the quarterfinals against Real Madrid, Partey's defensive solidity from a deep midfield role frustrated Los Blancos's attack. In the first leg of the semi-finals versus the Paris outfit, Partey's absence gave PSG's attack the room to easily penetrate Arsenal's backline.
However, having served his suspension, his return in the second leg comes in handy for Mikel Arteta's side. Partey has represented Arsenal 47 times this season and has delivered seven goal contributions.
"We have a big chance to be in the final" - Arsenal's manager on their chances against PSG
Mikel Arteta believes his side still have a big chance of reaching the UCL final this season. The Spaniard, however, added that his players will have to do something remarkable to eliminate PSG.
He said in a post-match interview after the first leg defeat to PSG (via Fabrizio Romano):
“It’s half-time and we have a big chance to be in the final. You want to be in Champions League final then you need to do something special… then we are going to need to do something special in Paris.”
The second leg of the semifinal between the Gunners and PSG will be played in Paris on Wednesday, May 7. Players like Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino are anticipated to register a comeback for the north London side, who are trailing by a goal.
