Confirmed line-ups as Dembele on the bench for hosts in heavyweight clash

Arsenal’s hopes of staging a second-leg comeback to reach the Champions League final have been handed something of a boost with news that Paris Saint-Germain’s top scorer this season, Ousmane Dembele, is only fit enough to make the bench.

Dembele has struggled with a hamstring injury sustained in the first leg and was a doubt to start the crunch match in Paris, where the Gunners will be looking to produce a memorable performance to overturn a 1-0 deficit from last week.

PSG’s slender lead means they hold the upper hand in the tie and will be firm favourites to progress  to face Inter Milan in the final in Munich.

Read on to see how the two teams line up for this season-defining clash.

PSG team news

The big news from the hosts’ camp is that last week’s match winner Dembele is only fit enough to make the bench.

PSG’s top scorer this season had been doubtful to make the starting team after being forced off after 70-minutes in north London with a hamstring injury. Bradley Barcola comes in for his compatriot.

Luis Enrique rang the changes at the weekend as the Ligue 1 champions fell to a 2-1 defeat to Strasbourg 2-1, with only midfielder Joao Neves not rested from the team that started against the Gunners at the Emirates.

And, with the exception of Dembele, the Spanish coach names an unchanged side from the trip across the Channel.

PSG: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes, Vitinha, Ruiz, Neves, Doue, Kvaratskhelia, Barcola

Subs: Safonov, Tenas, Ramos, Dembele, Lee, Hernandez, Mayulu, Zaire-Emery, Beraldo, Tape, Mbaye

📄 The Parisian XI!#PSGARS I #UCL pic.twitter.com/B1PbCA6TPe

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) May 7, 2025

Arsenal team news

Arteta makes two changes from the starting XI that lost to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, reinstating Mikel Merino and Jurrien Timber after the latter sat out of the contest with injury.

A key absentee from the first leg was Thomas Partey, who missed the game due to suspension, but he returns to partner Declan Rice in the heart of the Gunners’ midfield.

Leandro Trossard drops to the bench, leaving Merino to lead the line in attack.

Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Merino.

Subs: Neto, Setford, White, Calafiori, Tierney, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Henry-Francis, Nwaneri, Butler-Oyedeji, Trossard, Sterling.

🔴 ⚪️

🔙 Timber returns
⚡️ Saka on the wing
🎩 Merino leads the line

Let’s do this, Gunners 👊

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 7, 2025