Arsenal fixtures compared to PSG and potential Champions League finalists Barcelona and Inter
by Will Jenkins · football.londonArsenal are preparing to face Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League semi-finals next week.
The Gunners last European success was in 1994 when they won the Cup Winners' Cup, a UEFA run tournament that was disbanded before the turn of the century. Now, after another Premier League season where they look to have fallen short of the title, Mikel Arteta's men are three games away from being European champions.
They will face PSG in the semi-finals. The French champions survived a scare against Aston Villa in the quarter-finals as Unai Emery's squad were one goal away from a stunning comeback. Barcelona and Inter Milan are the final two remaining teams who will be hoping for a place in the final.
Arsenal are the only team remaining in the competition not at the top top of their respective league. With a handful of fixtures still to play in the season, football.london have listed each clubs remaining matches ahead of the Champions League final.
Arsenal
Crystal Palace (H) - 23 April - Premier League
PSG (H) - 29 April - Champions League semi-final
Bournemouth (H) - 3 May - Premier League
PSG (A) - 7 May - Champions League semi-final
Liverpool (A) - 11 May - Premier League
Newcastle (H) - 18 May - Premier League
Southampton (A) - 25 May - Premier League
31 May - Champions League Final
PSG
OGC Nice (H) – 25 April – Ligue 1
Arsenal (A) – 29 April – Champions League Semi-final
Strasbourg (A) – 3 May – Ligue 1
Arsenal (H) – 7 May – Champions League Semi-final
Montpellier (A) – 10 May – Ligue 1
Auxerre (H) – 17 May – Ligue 1
Reims (H) - 24 May - Coupe de France
31 May – Champions League Final
Barcelona
Real Madrid (Neutral Ground) – 26 April – Copa del Rey Final
Inter Milan (H) – 30 April – Champions League Semi-final
Real Valladolid (A) – 3 May – La Liga
Inter Milan (A) – 6 May – Champions League Semi-final
Real Madrid (A) – 11 May – La Liga
Espanyol (A) – 15 May – La Liga
Villarreal (H) - 18 May - La Liga
Athletic Bilbao (A) - 25 May - La Liga
31 May – Champions League Final
Inter Milan
AC Milan (H) - 23 April - Coppa Italia semi-final
Roma (H) – 27 April – Serie A
Barcelona (A) – 30 April – Champions League Semi-final
Hellas Verona (H) – 3 May – Serie A
Barcelona (H) – 7 May – Champions League Semi-final
Torino (A) – 11 May – Serie A
Lazio (H) – 18 May – Serie A
Como (A) – 25 May – Serie A
31 May – Champions League Final
Verdict
PSG could be seen to have an advantage over Arsenal in their semi-final due to Luis Enrique's side having already been crowned champions of Ligue 1. They can rest their star players ahead of the European ties with no concern of their league performance.
On the other hand, the Gunners still have some important fixtures coming up in the Premier League. The fact that Arteta has to keep focus on both competitions could make the team sharper, but it also could leave them more tired coming into both semi-final fixtures.
Barcelona and Inter Milan both have domestic cup competitions to contend with and are both in incredibly close title fights. The Spanish giants have begun to edge away from Real Madrid in La Liga, but Inter are currently level on points with Napoli in second, so every game counts for the two sides.
It means that if Arsenal can book their place in the final, they could head into it with a slender advantage of claiming European football's top trophy. First, though, they must overcome a tricky PSG side.
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