Arsenal have been given the weekend off ahead of their crucial Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, and it's about bloody time they got a break!
The lads are getting some extra time to prepare for the European semi-final showdown, their biggest game of the season so far. And let me tell you, they're gonna need it!
Why aren't Arsenal playing?
The Gunners aren't in action in the Premier League this weekend because Crystal Palace are too busy trying to win the FA Cup. They're up against Aston Villa at Wembley on Saturday. The original date for Arsenal vs Crystal Palace in the top-flight had to be moved, so they played out a 2-2 draw on Wednesday night instead. Typical, isn't it?
Mikel Arteta addressed whether the upcoming PSG game was on his players' minds during the match, with the title race all but over. He said: "Hopefully not, but we discussed that before Ipswich, and it wasn't there, and today we still had six days to prepare that match, and I don't want to use that."
Arsenal fans can take comfort from the fact that both of their quarter-final wins over Real Madrid followed top-flight draws. But let's be real, they're gonna need more than just comfort to beat PSG!
The first leg of their semi-final against PSG is at the Emirates next week, then the second leg is in Paris the following week. And you can bet your ass I'll be watching every bloody minute of it!
