UEFA Champions League: Arsenal host PSG with final place beckoning

Arsenal entertain Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday for the UEFA Champions League semi-finals first-leg clash at Emirates Stadium, with both sides looking to win a trophy that has eluded them for an eternity.

Arsenal won their last Champions League clash, beating Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.

After earning a 3-0 victory in the first leg at home, they ran out 2-1 victors in the return match.

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli netted in the second-leg win.

They are undefeated in their last 12 games in all competitions.

PSG beat Aston Villa 5-4 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.

They were forced to withstand a 3-2 defeat in the return match at Villa Park.

Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes were on the scoresheet in the second-leg loss.

Arsenal won the last meeting between the teams, triumphing 2-0 in a Champions League group phase match at Emirates Stadium in October.

Kai Havertz opened the scoring for the English side in the 20th minute. Saka was also on target.

Arsenal are unbeaten in their last three matches against PSG, and they are looking for their first win in encounters between the two clubs since September 2016.

The Gunners during that period have outscored PSG with five goals for and three against.

"We have overcome a lot of issues and challenges this season, and the fact that the team is here as one of the best four teams in Europe, it says (a lot) about the mindset, the spirit, and how much we really want it," Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told reporters.

"We are making history, and it's a beautiful story right now, but we want more."

It will be Arsenal's third Champions League semi-final appearance and their first since they faced Manchester United in 2009.

Saka is Arsenal's leading scorer with five goals, followed by Rice and Havertz with four each.

Ousmane Dembélé has been the most prolific player for PSG, scoring on seven occasions in this Champions League campaign.

Both sides are on Champions League scoring streaks, as the hosts have been on the scoresheet in their last eight games in the competition while the visitors have been on target in three straight.

Hosts Arsenal are unbeaten in home matches this Champions League season, with five wins and one draw from their six contests on home soil.

The Gunners will be out to prolong a six-match home unbeaten streak in all competitions.

PSG have won three, drawn one, and lost two in their last six.

They scored 10 and conceded nine in that stretch, netting first in four of the six.

Most of their goals (six) came in the first half, while their opponents netted three times before the break.

"Our next objective is to rewrite history, and there is only one way to do that. I would like to remind you that Arsenal has not won the Champions League before, and only one of us will get the ticket to the final over the two legs, and I hope that will be PSG," PSG manager Luis Enrique told reporters.

Kick off will be at 10 pm Kenyan time.