Arsenal have been handed a positive omen ahead of their crunch Champions League semi-final first leg clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
The Gunners will take on the already-crowned French champions at the Emirates Stadium as they look to make a first Champions League final appearance since losing 1-0 to Barcelona in 2006.
Curiously, the north London outfit could meet the same opponents in the final in Munich this year as they did 19 years ago, with Barca facing Inter Milan in the other semi-final.
While Arsenal have struggled to fire on all fronts domestically this term, they have been red-hot in Europe, losing just one game throughout the campaign, and come into the PSG clash having put Real Madrid to the sword, winning 5-1 on aggregate.
Arsenal have in fact already played PSG in the Champions League this season, winning 2-0 at the Emirates in the revamped League Phase.
This time round, though, they have been handed something of a boost for any superstitious fans.
Slavko Vincic was the referee for Arsenal’s clash with Paris Saint-Germain earlier this season
As well as booking Riccardo Calafiori he showed PSG’s Fabian Ruiz a yellow card on the night
Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka were on target in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over PSG back in October
That’s because the referee on Tuesday night, Slavko Vicinic, was the same man in the middle as that 2-0 win.
On that day in October, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz scored the goals that handed Mikel Arteta’s side an important victory against PSG.
Vincic had little to do that night, handing out just two yellow cards; one for Riccardo Calafiori and another for Fabian Ruiz.
He also officiated at the Champions League last season when Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund, and took charge of PSG’s clash with AC Milan in the same tournament, the French side winning 3-0.
While the Gunners were worthy winners last time round, they take on a different PSG side on Tuesday.
Luis Enrique has slowly turned his team into one of the strongest sides in Europe, ousting Liverpool and Aston Villa from the competition, and eyeing a Premier League treble now.
Key to their resurgence has been Ousmane Dembele, who is one of the in-form forwards on the continent with 32 goals and 12 assists across all competitions.
However he is not the only threat, with Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia also firing on all cylinders for the French champions.
