Arsenal have a tough challenge ahead of them when they travel to face Paris Saint-Germain, and Arsene Wenger needs to channel the confidence of Jay-Z.
Every Arsenal season seems to present a similar trajectory. They always get off to a slow start, leading their fans to fire Arsene Wenger, then they make a run in the Premier League and Champions League before getting knocked out of the Round of 16 and finishing fourth, respectively.
While Arsenal always get a tough Champions League group, they’re usually talented enough to go through in second place. This season was no exception, as their group stage will be bookended with fixtures against Paris Saint-Germain. But PSG are off to a slow start in Ligue 1, and the city of Paris is familiar to Wenger. If Wenger is nervous before this game, he certainly isn’t showing it:
Considering Wenger is a France native, you had to think someone was waiting for years to use that. And Arsenal’s trip to Paris was the perfect time to break it out.
When PSG demolished the competition last year, this fixture would’ve looked uneven on paper. But with a new manager and no Zlatan Ibrahimovic, they’re not the same dominant force that they were. And if Monaco could beat PSG, then Arsenal should like their chances.
But Arsenal have been struggling in the Premier League so far. They lost their opening match to Liverpool, and needed a last minute penalty to beat Southampton. Had it not been awarded, they would have only had one win in their opening four matches.
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While PSG should be the favorites in this match, anything can happen in the Champions League. And it would be par for the course if Arsenal won this match and rebuilt their fans’ trust before crushing their dreams again.