Key stat shows Arsenal will demolish Paris Saint-Germain in Champions League semifinal

Ahead of their massive UEFA Champions League semifinal clash, a worrying trend is emerging for Paris Saint-Germain that could tip the scales heavily in Arsenal’s favour.

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With the first leg set for Tuesday at the Emirates Stadium, and the return leg a week later in Paris, Mikel Arteta’s Gunners might just be licking their lips at the perfect opportunity to exploit PSG’s biggest flaw.

Paris Saint-Germain’s unbeaten run in Ligue 1 came to a crashing halt on Friday night, and it wasn’t just the loss that should concern their fans; it was how they lost.

OGC Nice delivered a shock 3-1 win at the Parc des Princes, ruthlessly exposing PSG’s glaring weakness at defending set pieces.

Two of Nice’s three goals came directly from dead-ball situations, confirming what has been a lingering issue all season long.

According to Stats du Foot, a staggering 38% of the goals PSG have conceded this campaign have come from set-pieces, and with that kind of vulnerability, facing Arsenal, who are arguably Europe's deadliest team from set pieces, couldn't come at a worse time.

If PSG thought OGC Nice were a handful, they haven’t seen anything yet. Arsenal’s ability to turn dead-ball situations into goals has been nothing short of elite over the past two Premier League seasons.

No team in England has scored more from set-pieces than the Gunners, with a remarkable 34 goals since the start of the 2022/23 season.

They notched a league-high 20 set-piece goals (excluding penalties) last season and have already added another 14 this season, sitting joint-second in that metric. The Gunners have also scored 27 goals from setpieces in all competitions this season.

Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have turned corners, free-kicks, and even throw-ins into lethal attacking opportunities.

PSG’s soft underbelly could not have been more perfectly primed for Arsenal’s strengths. If the numbers are anything to go by, PSG’s Champions League dream could crumble not through open-play magic, but through the cold, ruthless efficiency of Arsenal’s set-piece ability.