Mikel Arteta has just confirmed his first Arsenal starter vs PSG in Champions League second leg

Arsenal know they’ll have to overturn a one goal deficit in Paris this week if they want to reach the Champions League Final

Mikel Arteta may have given away his first name on his Arsenal teamsheet against PSG. (Image: 2025 Getty Images)

Mikel Arteta may have already given away the first name on his Arsenal teamsheet ahead of the Champions League semi-final second leg with PSG tomorrow night.

The Gunners head to Paris knowing they need to overturn a one-goal deficit after Ousmane Dembele’s strike at the Emirates gave Luis Enrique’s side a slender lead.

Arsenal were without midfielder Thomas Partey for the first leg, having been suspended for the game after picking up a silly booking in the dying embers of their win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu last month.

It meant Arteta had to reshuffle his pack for the first leg against the French champions, with Declan Rice dropping into Partey’s number six position in holding midfield, and Mikel Merino also dropping deeper as Leandro Trossard led the line.

Those changes certainly played their part, with Partey’s absence highlighted by Alan Shearer in the build-up to Dembele’s goal.

Speaking on commentary, Shearer told Amazon Prime: “I’m not sure they would’ve got that ball into Dembele in the third minute. I think he [Partey] would have been there sweeping it up. You can’t allow them to pass it from back to front. What a start for PSG!”

Partey returned to the fold to face Bournemouth at the weekend, with Arsenal beaten 2-1 by the Cherries on home soil.

It was in the aftermath of said defeat that Arteta hinted that Partey will be one of the first names on the teamsheet on Wednesday night.

Mikel Arteta manager of Arsenal puts his players through their paces ahead of the Champions League semi-final second leg against PSG.

When asked about the frustrations of having a depleted squad to face PSG, Arteta said: “Look, when I was going through the tunnel, I see [Takehiro] Tomiyasu out, [Riccardo] Calafiori out, Gabriel Magalhães out, Kai Havertz out, Gabriel Jesus out, Thomas Partey out, Jorginho out. Starters!

“And I see the team compete and I get goosebumps. Because we have a lot of merit and yet the game was by very, very, very small margins that weren’t on our side that day. That’s why I’m very optimistic.”

Arteta could not make it much clearer, Partey will start against PSG in a huge boost for the Gunners. They know they’ll need a performance similar to their October meeting with the Ligue 1 side, where they blew the visitors away

The fact the game will be played at the Parc des Princes makes the tie that little bit more exciting, with Arsenal forced to attack in order to get a way back into the leg.