Arsenal targeted by PSG banner at Parc des Princes as Gunners gear up for first Champions League semi-final in 16 years

Just days before facing the Gunners in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final fixture, newly crowned Ligue 1 champions PSG suffered their first defeat of the 2024-25 league campaign as they went down 3-1 against Nice at home. During the match, banners were unfurled at Parc des Princes by the home fans as they wanted to send out a fiery message to the Premier League giants. The PSG fans' banner read: "Eliminate Arsenal, bring us to the final."

Arsenal are gearing up for their first Champions League semi-final appearance since the 2008-09 season, when they reached the last-four but eventually lost to English rivals Manchester United over two legs. Mikel Arteta's side reached the semis after they beat reigning champions Real Madrid 5-1 in a two-legged quarter-final tie.

The defeat against Nice left manager Luis Enrique frustrated as he said after the game: "Based on what I saw, I’m signing up straight away for Tuesday in London and the return leg. Not for the result, obviously, but I saw a team that had 30 chances to score. I’m not worried at all. We attacked, didn’t calculate, and we came up against a goalkeeper who made some incredible saves. We are the best team in France, by far. We proved it. We have to be brave now and think about winning the Champions League. Right now, the players are clearly affected. We deserved to win, no doubt about it. But if the opponent is 100 per cent efficient and you’re not as efficient as usual, things turn around. It’s as simple as that."

The Spanish coach also explained his decision to field a full-strength squad in the league clash ahead of a crucial European game as he added: "Draw whatever conclusions you want from that. I’m not going to give any clues to Arteta."

After facing the French giants on April 29, Arsenal will be back in action in the Premier League on May 3 as they face Bournemouth at home.