After wrapping up their Premier League campaign with a long-awaited title, Arsenal head to Budapest to end their 2025/26 season looking to make history when they face Paris Saint-Germaine in the Champions League final.
Getting the Premier League monkey off their back after a 22 year title drought and three successive second place finishes has felt like a curse has been lifted and Arsenal can breathe free air again. Left behind in the wake of decades of a seemingly unshakeable atmosphere of nerves
is the vindication of Mikel Arteta’s project and the belief that this is only the beginning of a new era of Arsenal success.
They won’t have to wait long to see if their title can unlock a new level as Saturday marks the chance for this season’s Gunners to cement their legacy. Twenty years after falling short in their one and only previous appearance in the Champions League final, Arsenal have a date with destiny against the reigning CL title holders in hopes of doing what they couldn’t two decades ago.
With one drought out of the way, can the Gunners end another and ride their title-winning momentum to earn their first Champions League title this weekend?
Here are three talking points ahead of Saturday’s final:
Know the Enemy
Paris St. Germaine enter Saturday’s final after defeating Bayern Munich in the semifinals.
Awaiting the Gunners in Budapest are a PSG side that are the proverbial yin to Arsenal’s yang. While the Gunners scrapped and scraped their way through a physically exhausting league campaign, the French champions coasted to their 14th Ligue 1 title, rotating and resting players along the way to keep their legs fresh as they push for a second consecutive Champions League title after winning their first last season.
Where the Gunners lean on a deep and disciplined defense, PSG rely on a lethal attack that look to catch teams on the counter in numbers. Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele has dealt with injuries but has returned in fine fashion, while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been an absolute menace on the left. Their attack is fast, talented, and deep. Behind them are a stable of technical midfielders that can unlock packed defenses and unleash the attack. The defense features two of the world’s best attacking fullbacks in Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, and keeper Matvei Safanov has stepped up in the injury to Lucas Chevalier.
The title-holders will hope their markedly fresher legs will be the difference maker. Much has been made about Ligue 1’s generous scheduling in favor of PSG’s European campaign, as the French top flight were more than happy to move fixtures around to give them extra rest ahead of key matches. The French league also features one less domestic competition, which certainly helps with limiting fatigue. This season, Arsenal’s starters have logged 2,500 more minutes than PSG’s have, which is nearly 30 matches more.
PSG are largely unchanged from last season when the Gunners were defeated 3-1 in the semifinals, which is both a good and bad thing. The good news is that Arsenal largely know what to expect from a personnel standpoint. The most notable change is in goal. Gianluigi Donnarumma, whose heroics last season kept the Gunners out of the net with some immense saves, is no longer minding the net. The bad news is that PSG are just as good as they were last season. The Gunners had their hands full with their attack, and it likely will be a similar story on Saturday.
The key for PSG to lift the trophy once again is simple – score early and keep pushing. If they strike first, it puts the pressure firmly on Arsenal, who struggled to find much attacking success against them last season.
Injuries & Suspensions
The Gunners have somehow navigated an injury-laden season to find themselves with an almost fully healthy squad at season’s end. Ben White is the lone scratch after a knee injury at West Ham. Mikel Merino returned to action at Crystal Palace, while Jurrien Timber returned to first team training on Wednesday.
OUT: Ben White (knee)
Predicted Lineup
Attack: Trossard, Havertz, Saka
Leandro Trossard has been vital in recent weeks, scoring the winner in a tense match at West Ham. His technical level is exceptional, and his two-footed nature makes him a versatile threat. Most importantly, he lives for the big matches. Gabriel Martinelli provides pace and defensive work, but does not have the technical nous of Trossard.
On the right, it couldn’t be anyone but Bukayo Saka. Six years after telling the Arsenal faithful they deserved more, he and the players delivered on that promise. Now that he has a taste of that success, he will be hungry for more as the Gunners’ talisman on the right.
Striker is the tough call, but I think Kai Havertz gets the nod over Viktor Gyökeres. Both will play, but Kai’s experience, pressing, ability to drop deep, and aerial prowess give him the edge. Viktor has immense quality in his finishing, but as we have seen throughout the season, when teams cut off service to him, he struggles to adapt.
Midfield: MLS, Rice, Ødegaard
Declan Rice has had an incredible season as the midfield’s do-it-all workhorse. He has featured primarily at the 8 during his Arsenal career, but his defensive ability makes him a massive asset in the 6 against one of the world’s best attacks.
Mikel Arteta’s decision to start Myles Lewis Skelly in the midfield over the last month proved to be a successful gamble that has seen the Hale End grad reinvigorated and become a major contributor in the midfield. Fatigue has clearly caught up with Martin Zubimendi, and with such major stakes, I think Arteta rolls the dice again and turns to the fresher legs of MLS.
Eberechi Eze has been tremendous, but it’s safe to assume that Arteta will set up his side to defend deep and control the match. Eze’s cavalier nature with the ball could leave the midfield exposed, which would be a lethal error against PSG.
Ødegaard’s season has had its ups and downs, but he enjoyed the biggest “up” so far when he lifted the PL trophy. The captain pulls the strings and has been back to his best in the run in after finally overcoming his injury woes. He will need to maintain that level to control the tempo and help unlock PSG’s defense to get the most out of the attackers in front of him.
Defense: Calafiori, Gabriel, Saliba, Mosquera
Riccardo Calafiori’s second season has seen him make major strides at left back and will be put through the paces by PSG’s right side. With Rice able to drop into the defense, Calafiori should be able to make the runs through the middle that have made him such a key player for Arsenal.
Regardless of Jurrien Timber’s return, I think Cristhian Mosquera will take the right back. Facing Kvaratskhelia is a tall order, but Mosquera’s length and positional prowess will hopefully keep the slippery winger from getting too much joy out wide. Timber has been out for two months and isn’t match fit yet, but could feature late on.
Gabriel and William Saliba embody the defense. They have been at the heart of every title push and CL run, and after becoming PL champions, they will be hungry to help turn them into CL champions as well. Gabriel will especially be geared up for the match as he missed last season’s semifinal through injury.
Keeper: Raya
The best keeper in the Premier League will look to stake a claim as the best keeper in Europe on Saturday. David Raya has been peerless this season and can etch his name into the Arsenal history books as the best keeper in the Emirates era with another outstanding performance.
With every league and cup competition out of the way, the world will turn their eyes to Budapest to witness the crowning fixture of European football, a match that signifies the official end of the 2025/26 season before this summer’s World Cup.
It’s hard to believe that it’s nearly over. After 10 grueling months, Arsenal have ascended to the top of the footballing world once again, and a win on Saturday would be a fitting end to a season that has seen Arteta’s side derided, bantered, and criticized right up to (and even beyond) the trophy lift last Sunday. If they manage to play the way they have in Europe so far this season, they could very well be able to finally call themselves the champions of Europe this weekend and mark the beginning of a new era for the Gunners.
One match remains. Glory awaits.
WHO: Arsenal vs Paris St. Germaine
WHAT: Champions League Final
WHEN: Saturday, May 30th, 12:00pm EST/9:00am PST/5:00pm GMT
WHERE: Puskás Arena, Budapest
HOW TO WATCH: Broadcast live on CBS. Streaming on the Paramount+ app.
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