Thanks to Enrique, Arsenal can beat PSG more easily in London.

Mikel Arteta and his players see this personnel decision as beneficial for the English side.

Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates in the second round of the 2024/25 Champions League. In theory, a match against the 2023/24 Champions League semifinalists is expected to be a tough one, but to be honest, it would be a deep disappointment for the Gunners if they lose.

PSG is leading Ligue 1, tied on points with Monaco, but they are really struggling after losing Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid. While there have been some bright spots, like new signing Joao Neves and young winger Bradley Barcola, PSG no longer looks like a Champions League contender without Mbappe.

Meanwhile, Arsenal is fighting hard to finally win the Premier League this season. As they push all their efforts toward delivering their best performances, Arsenal is considered strong enough to join the ranks of Champions League title contenders. A strong performance at home against PSG would further assert that Mikel Arteta’s team didn’t come to the Champions League just for a “stroll.”

Thanks to PSG coach Luis Enrique, Arsenal won’t have to face their best player in the starting lineup since the beginning of the season – Ousmane Dembele. Despite contributing 4 goals in 6 Ligue 1 appearances for PSG, Dembele is being disciplined by Enrique due to disputes after PSG’s 3-1 win against Rennes.

That dispute began, as with many of Enrique’s disagreements, when the Spanish coach substituted his star player in the match against Rennes and then failed to calmly resolve the conflict. Luis Enrique is creating a potential problem for the future. This is “history repeating itself,” as there were similar tensions between Luis Enrique and Kylian Mbappe in the past.

Arsenal is likely not too concerned about Enrique’s decision to “drop” Dembele, as it would reduce the pressure and anxiety on Arteta’s back four. Whoscored rates Dembele as Ligue 1’s top player, while Enrique is blatantly leaving out his best striker. A small detail, but one that brings unexpected joy to the English side.

Luis Enrique is facing a lot of pressure to succeed at PSG after his memorable tenure with Barcelona. His fame during his time with the Blaugrana was understandable, thanks to the outstanding trio of Neymar, Luis Suarez, and Lionel Messi.

Now, at a PSG that has lost its brightest star in Mbappe, Enrique must work with the best personnel the club has. Even so, Ousmane Dembele is still being bluntly excluded by the Spanish coach.