Big Midweek: Mikel Arteta, Barcelona, Bodo/Glimt vs Spurs, Man Utd ‘flop’, EFL play-offs…

Spurs in Norway on an artificial pitch? Nothing to worry about, lads. Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta must inspire an Arsenal comeback against PSG in the Champions League.

Game to watch: Bodo/Glimt vs Tottenham Hotspur
There is strong potential for a Full Spurs showing on Thursday night – and as everyone should know by now, you should never go Full Spurs. Yes, both Champions League semi-finals are finely balanced, but the prospect of a Tottenham capitulation on a treacherous Thursday night is simply too delicious to ignore.

Ange Postecoglou’s side looked the real deal in their 3-1 first-leg win over Bodo/Glimt, but a late goal from the visitors and an injury to James Maddison turned comfort into creeping dread. That strike wasn’t a consolation; it was a lifeline. And Bodo/Glimt, the Norwegian minnows writing history as their country’s first European semi-finalists, will fancy their chances at home against anyone.

Kjetil Knutsen’s squad is 80% Norwegian and has knocked out stellar opposition in FC Twente, Olympiacos and Lazio to get to this stage. Their only home defeat in this season’s Europa League strangely came against FC Qarabag, winning every other league phase match at the Aspmyra Stadion against FC Porto, Besiktas and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Convincing home wins – 5-2 vs Twente, 3-0 vs reigning Conference League champions Olympiacos, and 2-0 vs Lazio – prove this is not some fairy-tale side there to make up the numbers. Premier League or not, this is a serious test.

Postecoglou was quick to play down the challenge of playing against non-league Tamworth away in the FA Cup – and the Londoners barely got out of that alive. Now it’s an artificial pitch, in freezing conditions, against a high-energy, high-belief Bodo/Glimt team.

With this fragile Spurs team, quite literally any result is on the table – which is exactly what makes it so entertaining.

Manager to watch: Mikel Arteta
There’s a huge amount riding on Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain, especially for Mikel Arteta, after a 1-0 first-leg defeat at the Emirates.

Some uncomfortable questions are starting to swirl about Arteta’s ability to win the biggest prizes. He’s clearly a world-class rebuilding manager – taking Arsenal from a punchline to a genuine Premier League force – but there’s still nothing tangible to show for it. Yes, there was the FA Cup in year one, but that was nearly five years and close to £700million ago. Since then, Arsenal have lived up to the moniker of ‘Next Season FC’.

Lose in Paris on Wednesday and a fourth straight trophyless season is confirmed. And while Arteta’s job is safe – despite what some Mailbox contributors might argue – next season starts to look suspiciously like make-or-break. If he reaches the end of a sixth full campaign without any silverware, even the Carabao Cup, it’ll be hard for anyone not wilfully deluding themselves to argue Arsenal don’t need someone who can actually get them over the line.

So, yes, a fair bit riding on this one.

Arsenal were largely second-best at home last week, conceding early and only growing into the game after half an hour. They were unlucky not to equalise, with Gianluigi Donnarumma in inspired form, but equally fortunate not to concede again.

But 1-0 is salvageable, especially considering how flat they were in the first leg. This tie is still alive – if Arsenal had won 1-0 away, nobody would be writing PSG off, so it’s daft to do so with the roles reversed.

Still, Arsenal are underdogs now, and it’s PSG’s final spot to lose, which, given their Champions League history, remains very much on the cards. We’ve not yet seen the annual Parisian meltdown, and Arteta will be hoping they’re saving it for Wednesday.

READ: Arsenal’s season has been embarrassing – Champions League exit should be the final straw

Player to watch: Antony
Antony – yes, that Antony – is one of the most in-form and entertaining wingers in Europe right now. He’s enjoying quite the remontada at Real Betis, and it’s genuinely remarkable what can happen when a player is freed from the shackles of Old Trafford.

We’re turning some limelight on the Europa Conference League and a tie with no English teams, as Betis’ semi-final against Fiorentina hangs delicately after a 2-1 first-leg win in Spain last Thursday.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side are chasing a Champions League spot in La Liga, but there was plenty of rotation against Espanyol on Sunday – though Antony started, finished, and scored in both 2-1 wins. He smashed in an absolute corker with the right foot nobody knew he had – past former Manchester United teammate David de Gea – and followed it up with a late winner against Espanyol, curling in a peach past Joan Garcia, who could yet end up as his future teammate at United.

Antony’s form has been electric and he’s genuinely exciting to watch right now. Football can change fast – so fast, in fact, that it now feels like United would be bloody stupid to sell him this summer. Which of course means they absolutely will, and for a fee that’ll make everyone wince.

Betis’ second leg against the two-time Conference League runners-up promises to be tight, and Antony could well be the difference-maker.

Team to watch: Barcelona
Antony might be one of the most entertaining wingers in football right now but another La Liga winger is the most entertaining player in the world: Lamine Yamal. The 17-year-old – which is still hard to believe – was frightening against Inter last week and without him, Barcelona would be heading to Milan needing a comeback to reach the Champions League final.

After that chaotic 3-3 draw, we’re expecting something similarly unhinged at San Siro. With their first-choice defenders available, you might expect a more cagey affair — but with Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde sidelined, Barcelona’s ‘attack is the best form of defence’ mantra will be more necessary than ever, especially against a side with Inter’s defensive pedigree.

That pedigree went out the window in Catalonia. Simone Inzaghi recognised that parking the bus wouldn’t cut it against Barca’s firepower, so Inter played them at their own game – and it made for a spectacular (not diabolical) spectacle.

Hansi Flick’s back four is now a puzzle. Reports suggest Inigo Martinez could slot in at left-back, while Ronald Araujo might play at right-back or partner Pau Cubarsí centrally. That leaves one spot up for grabs, with Eric Garcia the likely choice over Gerard Martin, Hector Fort, and Andreas Christensen.

Flick rotated heavily for the trip to Real Valladolid, but with his side 1-0 down at half-time, he brought on Raphinha and Fermin Lopez to join 36th-minute substitute Yamal. That trio helped spark a crucial comeback, meaning most of the squad heads into this semi-final well-rested, high on confidence, and with a Treble still very much in sight. If only Arsenal could relate to any of that.

READ MORE: Is it Raphinha v Yamal for the Ballon d’Or or can Dembele do it?

EFL game to watch: Bristol City vs Sheffield United
There may technically be only one midweek play-off match, but that won’t stop us from talking about Sheffield United’s trip to Ashton Gate.

The Blades’ play-off record is nothing short of abysmal. They’ve never been promoted that way in eight attempts – five failures in the second tier and three more in the third. Reaching the final four times isn’t horrendous, but losing every single one certainly is. This is absolutely not where Sheffield United want to be.

Then there’s Wembley. Dismal doesn’t even cover it. They haven’t won there in their last six trips, and their only victory at the national stadium came 100 years ago, in the 1925 FA Cup final against Cardiff City.

Bristol City await in the semi-finals after sneaking into sixth place, a full 22 points behind Chris Wilder’s side. The Robins are massive underdogs and ended the season poorly – but so did the Blades, who lost four of their last seven Championship games.

The regular-season head-to-head finished 3-2 to Sheffield United on aggregate, and they remain favourites to go up – which, if it happens, would be a historic achievement.

All just to come straight back down with 13 points.