“It’s far from over.”
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka is confident his side can turn their Champions League semi-final tie against Paris Saint-Germain around after suffering a 1-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium.
Ousmane Dembele’s early opener in the fourth minute handed the Ligue 1 champions a narrow advantage heading into the second leg at the Parc des Princes tonight, but Saka insists belief is still high within the squad that they can keep alive their last hope of silverware in the 2024/25 campaign.
The season-defining fixture arrives just four days after Arsenal suffered a 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth on home turf in the Premier League.
“I think it’s important to stay calm, but obviously we know we have another level to go and I think we’re going to show it in Paris, and I’m confident we can turn it around,” Saka told Sky Sports.
“Obviously, we are a bit frustrated and disappointed in ourselves. But, like I said, the most important thing right now is to stay calm. It’s far from over.”
On his own performance in the first leg, which was only his eighth outing since returning from a thigh injury that sidelined him for just under three months, Saka admitted he found it “difficult” to have his usual influence at the Emirates.
The 23-year-old has scored two goals since returning to the field, including his effort at the Bernabeu to help Arsenal to a 5-1 win on aggregate against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, but only had a yellow card to show for his efforts in the first leg against PSG.
He continued: “It was tough to find spaces. They put a lot of bodies around me. They defended well. I’m just looking at which spaces I can find in the second leg.”
Mikel Arteta’s side will now need to win by a two-goal margin at the Parc des Princes if they are to book their place in Munich for the final of Europe’s elite competition on May 31 without the need for a penalty shoot-out – but they can take confidence and belief from the fact they have already beaten the same opponents by such a scoreline this season.
Arsenal hosted Luis Enrique’s side in the league phase back in October, when first-half goals from Kai Havertz and Saka secured three points on the Gunners’ way to finishing third in the new format.
PSG struggled before the knockout stages, securing just 13 points from their eight games, but have since beaten Premier League champions Liverpool and Aston Villa on their way to the semi-finals.
Asked about the improvement shown by PSG, Saka said: “It’s like a different team.
“I know they only changed two players from the line-up they played against us previously, but how much cohesion they have, how they flow, how they move the ball… they were a lot better. They impressed me a lot, to be fair.
“They have a good manager. They have top-quality players. A lot of threat up at the top end of the pitch.”
Dembele is among the most celebrated of the plethora of options Enrique has to call upon for the fixture, and the French giants will be boosted by the fact that he has returned to training ahead of the second leg after suffering a hamstring problem during the first leg.
He was forced off in the 70th minute and then missed the league fixture at Strasbourg on Saturday but has since been pictured in training.
The 27-year-old has 33 goals and 10 assists across his 45 appearances this season.
Saka said: “These guys are top players and I don’t have a bad word to say about them. A lot of respect for them, and yes, when they’re not playing against me, I enjoy watching them play.”
