PSG coach Luis Enrique confirmed Dembélé's availability on Tuesday, stating that the French international, who scored the decisive goal in PSG's 1-0 victory in London last week, has participated in full training with his teammates for the past two days. "I have him at my disposal tomorrow," Enrique confidently told reporters.
Dembélé sustained the injury during the first leg encounter and was subsequently rested over the weekend as PSG suffered a 2-1 defeat to Strasbourg in Ligue 1. Enrique had opted for a heavily rotated lineup in that domestic fixture, clearly prioritizing the pivotal Champions League showdown against the Gunners.
Dembélé's goal against Arsenal was his eighth in just nine Champions League appearances since the beginning of the year, highlighting his significant impact in the competition.
PSG defender Achraf Hakimi echoed the team's delight at Dembélé's return, expressing his belief that the winger has made a full recovery. "He really wants to play," Hakimi affirmed. "Ousmane is a different kind of player. He makes you want to go and watch the game in the stadium, he can change the course of a match at any moment, he’s a genius with the ball. We’re delighted to have him back."
Historical statistics from UEFA favor PSG, indicating that they have won 18 of the 19 ties in which they secured a first-leg away victory. Conversely, Arsenal has a less encouraging record, having never overturned a home first-leg defeat in European competition, losing all five such previous encounters. However, Luis Enrique is wary of relying solely on historical precedent as they prepare for the match at the Parc des Princes.
"We’re bound to suffer because our opponents don’t have a favorable result," Enrique acknowledged. "We need to match our performance as closely as possible in the first leg to win the return leg and stay true to our ideas."
Both PSG and Arsenal are vying for their maiden Champions League title, having each reached the final only once before. PSG was eliminated at this semifinal stage last year by Borussia Dortmund and lost their sole final appearance to Bayern Munich in 2020, while Arsenal finished as runners-up to Barcelona in 2006.
Arteta Remains Optimistic:
Despite the first-leg deficit, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta conveyed a sense of optimism, stating that his team intends to do their talking on the pitch when the match commences on Wednesday. "We are here to make history, we have a big opportunity tomorrow," Arteta declared during a pre-match press conference in Paris.
Arsenal has demonstrated strong away form in the Champions League recently, winning their last four matches on the road, including an impressive 2-1 victory over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in the quarterfinals.
Drawing parallels with that memorable victory, Arteta said, "It’s Madrid against all the odds because obviously they were talking about all the comebacks and the history and what they did. We proved something very different to what they expected and tomorrow we want to do the same."
With Dembélé back in the fold for PSG and Arsenal determined to overturn the deficit, the second leg at the Parc des Princes promises to be a compelling and tightly contested affair, with a coveted spot in the Champions League final at stake.