Arsenal Warned by Vitinha About Ousmane Dembélé’s Impact After Missing Early Season Clash | OneFootball

Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are gearing up for a massive UEFA Champions League semifinal, with just 180 minutes separating them from a spot in the final.

The two sides already met earlier in the group stage, but PSG have shown real growth since then — and they did not have Ousmane Dembélé available for that first meeting.

Arsenal punched their ticket to the semifinals with a strong 2-1 win over Real Madrid in the second leg, capping off a dominant 5-1 victory on aggregate.

PSG also moved on with a 5-1 aggregate score, though their path was much tenser. They edged their opponents 5-4 overall after a wild second leg.

Both teams come into this clash after some recent stumbles. PSG were held to a 1-1 draw by FC Nantes and then saw their unbeaten Ligue 1 run snapped with a shock loss to OGC Nice. Arsenal, on the other hand, had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.

Will Ousmane Dembélé make a difference?

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While speaking to reporters on Monday, Vitinha discussed how much of a difference it made having Dembélé in the starting 11 this time against the Gunners.

“Dembélé is a vital player for us, an incredible player,” Vitinha said (h/t Culture PSG). “It’s always better to have him than not to have him. So I hope he can help us tomorrow, and we will do everything we can to help him… We have seen several times how he gives 100% in his matches, not just offensively but also defensively.

“It makes us want to help him, it makes us want to give even more. I think it’s an incredible form of leadership. Then, in the locker room and everything off the field, everyone knows him and finds him funny. There’s not a single player here who doesn’t like him. He’s incredible.”