Luis Enrique is predicting a demanding Champions League final and believes Arsenal set the standard without the ball. The Paris Saint-Germain coach expects a tight contest against Mikel Arteta's side, describing Arsenal's work off the ball as unmatched as both clubs prepare for the showpiece in Budapest.
PSG and Arsenal meet in the Champions League final in Budapest on May 30, with major storylines attached. The French side chase back-to-back titles, while Arsenal return to a European final for the first time since the 2005-06 season, having already secured the Premier League crown.
Arsenal reach Budapest with an outstanding defensive platform across this Champions League campaign. Arteta's team concede only six goals in 14 matches, despite facing
11.74 expected goals against and 39 shots on target. Of all 44 instances of teams playing at least 14 games in one Champions League season, Arsenal are the only side to avoid defeat in their first 14 fixtures.
The knockout rounds underline that defensive control. Arsenal allow just two goals across six matches, eliminating Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 on aggregate, Sporting CP 1-0 and Atletico Madrid 2-1. That resilience, combined with efficient attacking spells, carries Arsenal to a first European showpiece in almost two decades and frames their clash with PSG as a style contrast.
While Arsenal impress without the ball, PSG's route to Budapest features relentless attacking output. Luis Enrique's side score 44 goals in this season's Champions League. That total is the second-highest by any club in a single edition, behind only Barcelona, who struck 45 times during the 1999-00 campaign.
PSG are also targeting history on May 30. If they beat Arsenal, they will become the first team other than Real Madrid to successfully defend the Champions League title. There is added recent context, as PSG knocked Arsenal out at the semi-final stage last season, giving Luis Enrique and the squad direct experience of their opponents.
Reflecting on that familiarity, Luis Enrique highlighted both Arsenal's possession play and pressing intensity. "We've got experience of playing against Mikel Arteta's Arsenal, and we know full well how good they are on the ball," Luis Enrique said on Wednesday. "Off the ball, they're the best team in the world, no doubt about it. With the ball, theyre capable of scoring plenty of goals, and it's only natural to see them in the final. It'll be a very tough final with two teams approaching it in two different ways. But I think we're in for a great final. "
Arsenal also chase a place in a select group of domestic and European champions. Victory in Hungary would make Arsenal only the sixth club to win both the English top flight and the European Cup or Champions League in the same season. That list currently features Liverpool in 1976-77 and 1983-84, Manchester United in 1998-99 and 2007-08, and Manchester City in 2022-23, with United and City also lifting the FA Cup during those double-winning European campaigns.
