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“With all due respect, I think we are going to win the second leg.”

Should Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino’s claim give fans hope?

Many supporters reacted as though the tie was dead and buried after the Gunners were beaten at home by Paris St-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.

But, as Merino went on to explain, there are signs that the tie remains in the balance.

Manager Mikel Arteta was quick to make clear in his post-match news conference that it is only “half-time” before the second leg in Paris next Wednesday.

Arsenal could turn the tie around and reach their first Champions League final since 2006.

PSG dominated the early part of the match, had 75% possession in the opening 15 minutes and raced into a 1-0 lead from Ousmane Dembele’s fourth-minute strike.

But even though the Gunners were pinned back for what felt like large periods of the first half, they grew into the game.

Arteta said that he “corrected” an issue that was causing problems for his side during the first half and said that after that Arsenal did “much better”.

He is right that his team did do better, and, even though PSG had two good chances late on through Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos, Arsenal had chances of their own.

Gabriel Martinelli had a good opportunity inside the area saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma before half-time and Leandro Trossard forced the PSG goalkeeper into an excellent stop after the break.

Arsenal had a higher expected goal ratio (1.65), than PSG (1.14), and more shots on target (5 v 4), while Donnarumma had to make five saves compared to David Raya’s four.

One of the biggest challenges for Arteta to deal with was the absence of Thomas Partey in midfield.

His suspension for picking up a cheap yellow card in the victory over Real Madrid in the Bernabeu meant Arteta had to rejig his midfield.

When the Ghanaian returns next week it will allow Rice to move back into the number eight role that he has excelled in in recent weeks and Partey will give solidity and structure to the base of the Arsenal midfield.

Rice moving back into a more advanced role may also help captain Martin Odegaard, who had a quiet match on Tuesday.

Luis Enrique’s side have wrapped up the Ligue 1 title and were attempting to complete their first unbeaten season, but lost to Nice in their most recent home league game.

The pressure may have been off with their main objective complete but Arsenal could take a positive from the fact that PSG’s strongest XI were beaten comprehensively at home.

Aston Villa beat them 3-2 in their quarter-final second leg despite losing on aggregate, Liverpool beat PSG 1-0 in the last 16 first leg and Atletico Madrid were also victorious in the group stage at the Parc des Princes.

Of course, the pressure, teams and circumstances are different, but Arteta will have examples to study when setting out his game plan.

Arsenal have also picked up impressive wins in the competition themselves away from home, putting five past Sporting, seven past PSV Eindhoven and beating Real Madrid 2-1 at the Bernabeu.

Every manager wants their best players available but there is a question mark for Luis Enrique about the fitness of match-winner Dembele.

He limped off in the 70th minute and was replaced by Barcola.

The PSG manager was asked about the fitness of Dembele, who has scored 32 goals and registered 12 assists in all competitions this season, in his post-match press conference.

Enrique did not elaborate and said that Dembele had a “niggle” and it was “nothing serious”. But if he is not able to start the match it will give Arsenal – and their supporters – a huge lift.

Although Arsenal dropped away in the race for the Premier League title in recent weeks, with only one win in their past four matches, their form throughout the season has largely been good.

When playing away from home in the league they have won eight games, drawn seven and lost two.

Those two losses came in back-to-back away games against Bournemouth and Newcastle in October and November respectively.

The Gunners have lost only once away from home in the Champions League this season too, losing 1-0 to fellow semi-finalists Inter Milan.

The main criticism thrown at Arteta is that he is unable to get Arsenal over the line to win a trophy.

And the fact that Arsenal have failed to win any of their past seven semi-final matches in all competitions (L5 D2) and have failed to score in those matches will also dampen spirits heading into the match next week.

Merino, however, hopes not.

“Paris is a tough place to go, but we have always proved that we can compete against anybody and, with all due respect, I think we are going to win the second leg,” he said.

“We have proved we can win anywhere, the Bernabeu, and against any side in the Premier League, too, so that gives us a lot of confidence.

“The result (on Tuesday) changes nothing because the mentality of this team is always to win.

Following his successful tenure as caretaker manager, Swansea City have signed Alan Sheehan as their head coach on a three-year contract.

Sheehan impressed when she assumed control of Swansea in February, taking over after Luke Williams’ departure.

The 38-year-old Irishman has been given the opportunity to make a lasting impression in his first permanent managerial position.

Sheehan stated on the official website of the football team, “It’s a privilege to be here, and I’m honored to have the honor of becoming the head coach.”

It’s “somewhat surreal,” it says. I spoke about building something over the past few months about how great the neighborhood has become.

When Williams left the club after seven defeats in nine Championship games, Swansea were looking concerned toward the bottom three.

However, Sheehan’s 12 games at the helm have resulted in the Welsh club taking 23 points and placing them in the top half of the table.

Football director Richard Montague remarked, “We’ve been very impressed with Alan since he’s taken over as caretaker head coach for a second time.

“We had to go through a thorough and in-depth selection process for our new head coach,” he said.

We were given the choice to make, and we are confident that our club has chosen the best head coach to advance.

Sheehan has always been enthusiastic about taking the position, but he has repeatedly stressed that his ideas must align with the club’s perspective on the direction forward.

In the summer of 2023, former left-back Sheehan collaborated with then-sporting director Paul Watson, whom he was familiar with from their time playing together at Luton, and he became an assistant head coach for Swansea.

Sheehan first assumed control of the club in December 2023 after initially working for Michael Duff’s backroom staff before joining Williams in January of last year. He helped Swansea collect 11 points from seven games.

Sheehan made a second appearance in the top job after Williams said his farewells before making a second one.

Swansea were 17th at the time, eight points clear of the bottom three, but they have since turned in a remarkable form to climb to 11th.

Swansea’s slim play-off chances were ended by their defeat at Millwall last weekend; they wrap up the season with a home game against Oxford United on Saturday (12:30 BST).

CEO of Swansea Tom Gorringe commented, “Alan has demonstrated strong leadership and tactical acumen while serving as caretaker head coach.

We firmly believe that he is the right person to advance Swansea City and build on our progress toward the end of the season.

We’re optimistic and excited about our shared goals.

Eni Aluko, a former England striker, has withdrawn from the Women’s Football Awards presentation role following her criticism of fellow pundit Ian Wright.

The 38-year-old criticised Wright last week, saying that he should be aware that there were only “fifteen opportunities” for female football journalists.

Aluko, a former Chelsea striker, has since offered an apology for her remarks, but Wright claimed he was “very disappointed” and “cannot accept” the apology.

The former England international and Arsenal icon has long been a proponent of the women’s game, appearing on television shows with an emphasis on Lionesses games, and received a lot of support after being criticized.

She said, “I’ve decided to step down from the hosting lineup this year.”

I don’t want to distract myself from the celebrations, recognition, and celebrations that surround this occasion. The players, coaches, fans, and everyone who has worked tirelessly to advance the women’s game deserve this occasion.

More than 137, 000 people have liked Wright’s Instagram post in response to Aluko’s comments, including England women’s players Mary Earps, Alessia Russo, and Alex Greenwood.

After a 15-year professional career that began at Crystal Palace in 1985, the 61-year-old said he will “always” try to return to the game of football.

The game has serious systemic challenges, according to Wright, who has worked alongside Aluko, because in the past, where men had been preventing women’s play for 50 years, they have been preventing it.

We have a responsibility to set the standard for women’s football because we are the nation that created modern football.