?With all due respect, I think we are going to win the second leg.?

Should Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino?s claim give fans hope?

Many supporters reacted as though the tie was dead and buried after the Gunners were beaten at home by Paris St-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.

But, as Merino went on to explain, there are signs that the tie remains in the balance.

Manager Mikel Arteta was quick to make clear in his post-match news conference that it is only ?half-time? before the second leg in Paris next Wednesday.

Arsenal could turn the tie around and reach their first Champions League final since 2006.

Here?s how.

Chances will come

PSG dominated the early part of the match, had 75% possession in the opening 15 minutes and raced into a 1-0 lead from Ousmane Dembele?s fourth-minute strike.

But even though the Gunners were pinned back for what felt like large periods of the first half, they grew into the game.

Arteta said that he ?corrected? an issue that was causing problems for his side during the first half and said that after that Arsenal did ?much better?.

He is right that his team did do better, and, even though PSG had two good chances late on through Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos, Arsenal had chances of their own.

Gabriel Martinelli had a good opportunity inside the area saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma before half-time and Leandro Trossard forced the PSG goalkeeper into an excellent stop after the break.

Arsenal had a higher expected goal ratio (1.65), than PSG (1.14), and more shots on target (5 v 4), while Donnarumma had to make five saves compared to David Raya?s four.

They also had a goal disallowed after Merino headed in Declan Rice?s free-kick in the second half, and those chances show that Arsenal could grab the goal they need next week to level the tie.

Partey will be back

One of the biggest challenges for Arteta to deal with was the absence of Thomas Partey in midfield.

His suspension for picking up a cheap yellow card in the victory over Real Madrid in the Bernabeu meant Arteta had to rejig his midfield.

When the Ghanaian returns next week it will allow Rice to move back into the number eight role that he has excelled in in recent weeks and Partey will give solidity and structure to the base of the Arsenal midfield.

Rice moving back into a more advanced role may also help captain Martin Odegaard, who had a quiet match on Tuesday.

Arsenal missed Rice?s powerful runs from deep and Partey may also be able to stop Dembele, who operates as a false nine and drops into space between the midfield and the backline, picking up the ball.

PSG can be beaten

Luis Enrique?s side have wrapped up the Ligue 1 title and were attempting to complete their first unbeaten season, but lost to Nice in their most recent home league game.

The pressure may have been off with their main objective complete but Arsenal could take a positive from the fact that PSG?s strongest XI were beaten comprehensively at home.

Aston Villa beat them 3-2 in their quarter-final second leg despite losing on aggregate, Liverpool beat PSG 1-0 in the last 16 first leg and Atletico Madrid were also victorious in the group stage at the Parc des Princes.

Of course, the pressure, teams and circumstances are different, but Arteta will have examples to study when setting out his game plan.

Arsenal have also picked up impressive wins in the competition themselves away from home, putting five past Sporting, seven past PSV Eindhoven and beating Real Madrid 2-1 at the Bernabeu.

And let?s not forget that Arsenal beat PSG 2-0 in the league stage of the competition in October.

Dembele fitness question

Every manager wants their best players available but there is a question mark for Luis Enrique about the fitness of match-winner Dembele.

He limped off in the 70th minute and was replaced by Barcola.

The PSG manager was asked about the fitness of Dembele, who has scored 32 goals and registered 12 assists in all competitions this season, in his post-match press conference.

Enrique did not elaborate and said that Dembele had a ?niggle? and it was ?nothing serious?. But if he is not able to start the match it will give Arsenal ? and their supporters ? a huge lift.

PSG still have an array of attacking talent, though, and have the excellent Barcola, striker Ramos ? who hit the crossbar late in the match ? Lee Kang-In and youngster Warren Zaire-Emery to call on if Dembele is unable to start the game.

Why Arsenal?s away form could help

Although Arsenal dropped away in the race for the Premier League title in recent weeks, with only one win in their past four matches, their form throughout the season has largely been good.

When playing away from home in the league they have won eight games, drawn seven and lost two.

Those two losses came in back-to-back away games against Bournemouth and Newcastle in October and November respectively.

The Gunners have lost only once away from home in the Champions League this season too, losing 1-0 to fellow semi-finalists Inter Milan.

The main criticism thrown at Arteta is that he is unable to get Arsenal over the line to win a trophy.

And the fact that Arsenal have failed to win any of their past seven semi-final matches in all competitions (L5 D2) and have failed to score in those matches will also dampen spirits heading into the match next week.

Merino, however, hopes not.

?Paris is a tough place to go, but we have always proved that we can compete against anybody and, with all due respect, I think we are going to win the second leg,? he said.

?We have proved we can win anywhere, the Bernabeu, and against any side in the Premier League, too, so that gives us a lot of confidence.

?The result (on Tuesday) changes nothing because the mentality of this team is always to win.

?The team is full of confidence, full of energy for the second leg, and we have the motivation to win this for our fans and for ourselves.? (BBC)

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