Arsenal handed major update after PSG Champions League request as semi final advantage confirmed

Arsenal's Champions League semi-final opponent Paris Saint-Germain will not request that their Ligue 1 fixture scheduled between the two European legs is postponed, despite doing so in the previous round.

The Gunners were jubilant on Wednesday having come away from the Santiago Bernabeu with a hard-fought 2-1 victory, ultimately meaning that they had defeated Champions League holders Real Madrid by a 5-1 aggregate scoreline.

It means the Champions League dream is very much alive for Mikel Arteta and Co. as they aim to win their first trophy in five seasons - all they must do is navigate the semi-finals and a grand showdown at Munich's Allianz Arena.

Reward for beating Real is a last-four clash with PSG, who in the previous knockout rounds have eliminated Liverpool via a penalty shoot-out and Aston Villa with by narrow 5-4 aggregate margin.

Aiding the Ligue 1 team through their recent quarter final against Unai Emery's side was the fact that they had fresh legs, though it seems Arsenal can take confidence from the fact this won't be the case in the next round.

L'Equipe reports that PSG do not intend to make a special request to France's Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) to have their upcoming fixture against Strasbourg postponed.

That match is scheduled for Sunday, May 4, so falls directly between Arsenal and PSG's first-leg meeting at the Emirates Stadium (Tuesday, April 29) and the return leg at the Parc des Princes (Wednesday, May 7).

In Paris, the feeling is that three matches over an eight-day period is perfectly normal.

This sentiment was not shared before the previous round of Champions League action when two meetings with Aston Villa were spread six days apart and a game against Nantes was originally scheduled on the Saturday in between.

The LFP obliged to have that one changed to the coming Tuesday, April 22 instead.

For the Gunners this means that their semi-final adversaries will not be fresher than themselves, with Arteta's team to face Bournemouth on Saturday, May 3.

The news appears to seal the fact Arsenal will head into the tie with a slight advantage, having had a day more than their opponents to rest and recover.

"I don’t consider myself successful," head coach Luis Enrique said in his latest speech of confidence on Friday. "I’m here to write history and do all I can to win this famous trophy."

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