An atmosphere to rival that when the Gunners put three past Los Blancos at the Emirates Stadium will be expected.
Given that the two games between the Ligue 1 giants and the new Premier League champions were also amongst the most exciting seen in the competition for years, football aficionados could be in for a real treat.
Luis Enrique's side have walked to their domestic league title this season, but just as Arsenal have a great European record against Real, the Gunners are also unbeaten across the previous five meetings (W2 D3) vs PSG.
European football history against PSG
This will be the sixth time the two teams have clashed in European competition, and Arsenal are the opponent that the French side have faced the most times in European competition without ever winning.
Mikel Arteta will undoubtedly take heart in the fact that his side have already beaten PSG in the Champions League this season, winning 2-0 at home in the league phase last October.
To date, however, only one English side have beaten PSG twice in a single edition of the competition: Manchester City in the 2020/21 semi-finals (2-1 away, 2-0 at home).
There's even more history against the visitors, as PSG have lost five of their last six away matches against English teams in the Champions League (Manchester City x2, Arsenal, Newcastle and Aston Villa).
Arsenal have to be wary of PSG attacking threat
Though Arsenal are unbeaten in their last eight games in the competition (W7 D1), and have been ahead for 53% of their total match time - the highest percentage of any team - PSG have four different players averaging 2+ completed dribbles per 90 in the UCL this season (Doue 3.1, Kvaratskhelia 2.7, Barcola 2.6, and Dembele 2.2), the most on a single team (300+ mins played).
In fact, PSG’s total of 190 completed dribbles is the most in a single edition of the Champions League since Barcelona in 2014/15 (238) - who were also managed by Luis Enrique.
Both sides have their dangermen who could author the way in which this tie ends up over the two legs too.
Over the past two seasons, Bukayo Saka has scored nine goals and contributed six assists in 16 appearances in the Champions League for Arsenal, the most goal involvements for an English player in their first two seasons in the competition.
From a PSG perspective, Ousmane Dembele has been directly involved in 10 UCL goals this season (seven goals, three assists), and could equal the record for most goal involvements by a PSG player in a single edition, currently held by Kylian Mbappe (11 in 20/21 – eight goals, three assists).
Nice showed the blueprint for beating PSG
It's only the third time that two Spanish managers will face each other in a UCL semi-final tie too, after Carles Rexach (Barcelona) vs. Vicente del Bosque (Real Madrid) in 2001/02 and Pep Guardiola (Bayern Munich) vs. Luis Enrique (Barcelona) in 14/15.
The latter almost certainly won't be concerned with the weight of history being against his side ahead of the match; however, the manner of a 3-1 home loss to Nice last Friday, thereby destroying PSG's dreams of going a full domestic campaign unbeaten, might be a worry.
Nice scored with their only three chances on target and won the match with just 24% possession across the whole 90 minutes. It was a masterclass in game management against a clearly superior opponent who had 13 shots out of 32 on target but were not able to take all three points.
The blueprint in that game might go against the grain for Arteta, who is likely to want his team on the front foot throughout, though he does run the risk of being overrun when PSG spring forward.
87% of PSG’s pressures in the UEFA Champions League this season have been applied with high intensity, which is the highest percentage of any team, and midfielder Joao Neves has to be nullified if the Gunners want any sort of advantage to take to France for the second leg.
Arsenal's forwards must do better in front of goal
Neves has the most high-intensity pressures applied in the tournament this season (715), and is the player who oils the wheels for the likes of Dembele, Kvaratskhelia and Doue to wreak havoc. Dembele's 14 fast breaks, for example, are way more than any of his teammates (Bradley Barcola's five is the next best).
In order to limit PSG's forays into the Arsenal box, the hosts have to be on the front foot from the get-go and take their chances when they arrive.
If Leandro Trossard starts the game for example, he has to up the ante significantly in terms of his shooting accuracy, because 27.3% just isn't acceptable. Only Gabriel's 16.7% stat in this area is worse amongst the entire Gunners squad.
Furthermore, if Arsenal decide that they want to keep control of the ball and attempt to play Luis Enrique's side at their own game, rather than sit back as Nice did and hope for the best, they have the personnel to be able to do just that.
In Declan Rice Arsenal have a giant of the game who can knock it about for fun in the middle of the park and draw players to him in order to leave spaces in behind. His 92.2% accuracy is just behind Myles Lewis-Skelly's astonishing 93%, whilst Thomas Partey could be a big miss for the first leg as his 90.2% stat perfectly complemented his midfield partner.
Only Gabriel Martinelli, Mikel Merino and David Raya have dipped below 80% pass completion, suggesting that if the Gunners are allowed time on the ball, PSG could find it incredibly difficult to impose their natural game.
Robust and physical performance needed from PSG
Arsenal have already shown that they can stand toe-to-toe with the best this season and come out on top. As long as the sense of occasion doesn't get the better of them, Mikel Arteta's side have every chance of walking out at the Parc des Princes with something still to play for and the opportunity of progressing to the Champions League final.
If PSG want the second leg to be a foregone conclusion, then very simply, they also have to get their foot in and turn to the dark arts when required.
It may be anathema to them, given that the majority of their players win less than 50% of their duels, but with a final place at stake, no quarter should be asked or given.
They carry an attacking threat right across the pitch, but Luis Enrique will surely demand a more robust and physical performance against a team that isn't renowned for being able to cope with getting bullied off the ball.
Let battle commence...!
