After a nervy performance against Manchester United, which saw the Gunners managing a late, undeserved draw at Old Trafford, Arsenal will be hoping to have more conviction when they welcome Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.
Both Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain confirmed their qualification for the knockout rounds on matchday four, so the winner of this encounter will finish first in Group A. Arsenal are 17 matches unbeaten since the 4-3 loss to Liverpool on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
The Gunners will have to want the top spot if they are to have a better chance of breaking voodoo of getting knocked out in the round of 16. Here are the 3 key battles Arsenal have to be aware of to ensure a win in this match.
Alexis Sanchez vs Thiago Silva
Although the Chilean looked isolated and ineffective against Manchester United in the weekend match, no one denies his ability to drive in the opponent’s half when he has the ball at his feet. He is really unstoppable at times and Thiago Silva will have an extremely tough time keeping the forward silent. Sanchez has already scored 6 goals and provided 4 assists in 12 appearances for Arsenal. He has a shot accuracy of 61% and wins 50% of his duels on an average.
Thiago Silva has won seven tackles this season with a success rate of 78%. He has made 18 interceptions, 35 clearances and five blocks. He has a passing accuracy of 94% and wins 80% of duels on average. The stats are quite impressive, and it will a fantastic South-American contest to watch out for.
Angel Di Maria vs Nacho Monreal
With Edison Cavani up front, one major threat that Arsenal have to deal with will be Di Maria. The Argentine was difficult to stop in the reverse fixture when Arsenal managed to get a late goal in Paris. Wenger will be more than wary of his pace and tricks and the damage he can do if given space. He has scored one goal this season, creating 38 chances and five assists. Di María has completed 473 passes this season with a pass accuracy of 77%, of which 78% were forward passes. His crosses will be a difficult thing to deal with.
Nacho Monreal had a tough time against United where he was often surpassed by Antonio Valencia with relative ease. He will be hoping to have a better performance against PSG considering that Di Maria’s pace and skills overtake Valencia’s by a margin.
Monreal scored his first senior international goal as Spain ran out 4-0 winners against FYR Macedonia in the international break. Monreal has 3 successful interceptions and tackles on average per game. It’s unlikely though that he’ll get too many chances to bomb forward considering PSG’s threat down the right.
Edinson Cavani vs Laurent Koscielny
He was first as a flash to open the scoring against Arsenal in the reverse fixture and Unai Emery will be sure to deploy his deadly striker to strike early once again. He has scored 11 goals this season and has a shot accuracy of 51%.
Koscielny is Arsenal’s best defender and has won 12 tackles this season with a success rate of 63%. He has made 33 interceptions, 69 clearances and 10 blocks. He is also included in the UEFA shortlist along with Aaron Ramsey and Alexis Sanchez.
Cavani’s profligacy helped Arsenal get back into the game in the reverse fixture but there’s no guarantee that the Uruguayan will be as wasteful in front of goal tomorrow. With that being said, Koscielny will have to be wary of the threat Cavani poses.
