Arsenal

Will this be the season Arsenal win the Champions League for the first time?

"We are going to find out," said Gunners boss Mikel Arteta when asked about if his side could go all the way this time.

"But we're not thinking about it yet because we are still very, very far away, starting with a difficult game against Paris St-Germain."

We have had a rousing light show and pre-game entertainment in Slovakia as the fans are doing their bit to create a great atmosphere.

Will the players be able to match their efforts when we get started? Remember, Slovan Bratislava have played once in this phase of the 2024-25 Champions League and got thrashed 5-1 at Celtic in September.

But it has already been a huge adventure for the Slovakian champions as they had to play eight times and fight through four qualifying rounds to get their spot in the league phase of the competition.

What a story it would be if they could surprise Manchester City, winners of this tournament two seasons ago.

Leon Osman
Former Everton and England midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

PSG will make Arsenal defend at times there is no doubt about that, but they can't just defend. They have to go and show that they can control a game of football at this level over the 90 minutes. They are oustanding defensively, outstanding in attack too. Arsenal are very good at dictating the tempo, slowing the game down, but it is about putting all aspects of a performance together.

This the bottom half of the Champions League table after the two early kick-offs.

Flames shoot from the side of the pitch as the rain comes down at the Emirates. The teams are gathering in the tunnel. PSG fans are holding their scarves in the air as they prepare to welcome the players.

Ian Dennis
BBC Radio 5 Live senior football reporter at the Emirates Stadium

Where Arsenal still need to improve is their away form in Europe. I think the term indifferent would be a fair assumption of how they fared last season. Although their point that they won in Bergamo on matchday one will look very good if they can back it up with three points against PSG tonight.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Emirates Stadium

This may be the new PSG, stripped of the old superstars such as Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, and in a brand new phase of development, but there is a quiet confidence in the French camp under decorated coach Luis Enrique.

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma remains from the big stars but now PSG look to the likes of the brilliant 18-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery to lead their quest for that elusive Champions League.

Arsenal will be favourites on home turf but the Gunners must beware.

It is gameweek two of eight in the new revamped Champions League. Each of the 36 teams plays eight different opponents, four at home and four away with the top eight sides advancing to the last 16.

Those ranked ninth to 24th will compete in play-offs with the winners also moving into the knockout stages. Sides that come 25th or worse will be eliminated.

Brest, who beat Red Bull Salzburg 4-0 in Austria earlier today, are top of the league with six points from six after also winning their opener, 2-1 against another Austrian team in Sturm Graz.

Julien Laurens
French football expert on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast

Image source, Getty Images

Luis Enrique is a very discipline-heavy coach and if you don't follow all the rules or you are in disagreement then you will be removed from the squad. So no Ousmane Dembele for PSG which obviously takes a lot away from the team, he has been their best player this season, the most talented in the squad, a certain advantage for Arsenal.

Image source, Getty Images

Mikel Arteta said Paris St-Germain "protected him like a son" when he was at the club for one season in 2001-02.

The Arsenal boss was 18 when he moved to the French capital when he was on Barcelona's books.

Arteta joined a star-studded PSG side which boasted the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Gabriel Heinze, Jay-Jay Okocha and Nicolas Anelka.

"We were in Barcelona when we got the phone call that 'you need to pack your bags and fly to Paris, now'," said Arteta of his move to PSG in 2001.

"I was 18 years old, had not played any professional football and you look at those names at the club and you think, 'are they sure?'

"They protected me like a son. It was the perfect environment for me, to give me the chance, to see what I was capable of doing. It was an amazing experience. I wanted to stay there but I was owned by Barcelona and they couldn't find an agreement."

But which one, Danny?

Atletico or Real?

Julien Laurens
French football expert on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast

Image source, Getty Images

The Champions League has been the holy grail for PSG, and I don't know if they will ever get there. Before they tried to get there by signing the best players in the world, even if it didn't make sense to add more talent, and that didn't work.

Now they have gone in a different direction, trying to build a proper team albeit with less individual talent. I think they will need more time to be able to compete with the best.

Image source, Getty Images

French side Brest are top of the Champions League league phase table after recording their second win in the competition.

The Champions League newcomers thrashed Red Bull Salzburg in a clinical away performance, thanks to two goals from Abdallah Sima and strikes from Mahdi Camara and Mathias Pereira Lage.

Brest, who were playing at amateur level just over 20 years ago and have never won a major domestic trophy, finished third in Ligue 1 last season to qualify for Europe for the first time.

They beat Sturm Graz 2-1 in their first ever Champions League match in September.

Salzburg remain winless in the league phase after losing 3-0 to Sparta Prague in their opener.

Pat Nevin
Former Scotland winger to BBC Sport

‌Even when Arsenal don’t have a weakness they still strive to improve.

Full-backs Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber underline this attitude. Manager Mikel Arteta demands not only top-quality defending, but comfort on the ball and real threat going forward. They have upgraded at full-back when they were perfectly good there before.

‌They will struggle to improve on William Saliba and Gabriel, the best centre-back pairing in the Premier League.

Manchester City

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City and England defender John Stones says he "loves" playing in midfield and will "100%" fill the void left by Rodri if called upon by manager Pep Guardiola.

The Spain star is out for the season with a serious knee injury and speculation has begun about how Guardiola will adjust his team without the key man in his midfield.

"If called upon, 100%," Stones said when asked if he would step in from central defence. "[Rodri's injury was] difficult news for us all to take. I spoke to Rodri and he's doing well, recovered well. It's sad for the standard he's set over the past few seasons. We know what a key player he is for us and we have to look forward to him coming back. We know it's gonna be a long time.

"We have a lot of quality and there are lots of players who can fill in in that position. He's come to terms with it and he seems in good spirits. He's over in Spain with his family and needs to take some time now to relax and recover as best he can."

In Saturday's 1-1 draw at Newcastle, Rico Lewis started alongside Mateo Kovacic in midfield but Stones has performed the role well in the past, most notably in the 2023 Champions League final win over Inter Milan.

"It's happened a lot over the past two years," Stones said. "It was a bit different in the Champions League final. I was a bit higher up and it was a new challenge for me, one that I enjoyed. Whoever plays in midfield has played there before and knows what is asked of them by the manager. I love it. It's a totally different look on the game and appreciation for the game."

Julien Laurens
French football expert on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast

Image source, PA Media

Arsenal go into this game as favourites, as they will do with most games they play this season. We saw last season against Bayern Munich that perhaps they lacked the Champions League experience, but they continue to learn.

Tonight's game is a big one between two big clubs, and it will be a test for Arsenal.

But if they win it convincingly it will add more credibility to the process and journey they have been on.

Honestly, those PSG are dancing and singing as though their team have won the Champions League. Outstanding support.

John Cross
Daily Mirror Chief Football Writer on BBC Radio 5 Live

Celtic are strong but Dortmund are formidable and are really strong Champions League campaigners.

And Manchester City? Well Celtic battered Bratislava 5-1 last time out to give them some confidence, so City really should really be strolling this, with or without Rodri.

City are favourites for the Champions League, I'm sure they'll win this.

Alex Howell
BBC football news reporter at Emirates Stadium

A strange scenario where the Arsenal team received a hostile welcome as they came out to warm up at their own stadium.

The PSG supporters have packed their end out before the game and jeered the home side as they came out.

I'm sure that will change once the game gets going and the Arsenal fans are in full voice.

Image source, PA Media