Arsenal ready to take a shot at Champions League final immortality against PSG but which side has the edge?

Arsenal are still riding high from their home success when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday. Their first title win in 22 years but their 14th in top flight history. Only Liverpool and Manchester United have won more.

Although firmly established as one of the giants of English football, Arsenal’s European heritage is relatively short, with their only trophy success coming in the 1993/94 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and the 1970/71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, both of which had ceased to exist decades earlier.

In Budapest, though, they have the chance to “write a new history”, to use a term popular with manager Mikel Arteta, who took Arsenal to only a second Champions League final, putting the club within reach of an unprecedented achievement.

A first Champions League win would ensure immortality for managers and players. As Josh Kroenke said this week: “Champions of England sounds pretty good and Champions of Europe can sound even better, especially with a double tie.”

Winning the Premier League title marked a culmination point for Arteta’s career but, although historically an area of underachievement, it is arguably in European competition that the club’s transformation over the past seven seasons has been most evident.

Arsenal were without Champions League football for their third consecutive season when he took the job and three more followed, one of which saw them miss out on European qualification altogether, before they finally returned in 2023/24.

Since then, they have advanced three years in a row, from the quarter-finals to the semi-finals, to the final. Arsenal were in uncharted territory even reaching the last four in consecutive seasons.

Reason for Arsenal optimism?

So what is actually expected to win it? PSG are of course the reigning champions, a formidable opponent whose five-goal thrashing of Inter in last year’s final saw them lift the trophy for the first time and complete their own rise to the top of European football.

But, for all the attacking brilliance of Luis Enrique’s side, Arteta will notice the defensive frailties displayed in their semi-final against Bayern Munich, who managed to score five goals despite the two-legged defeat.

He can also reflect that last year’s semi-final, when Arsenal were beaten 3-1 on aggregate, could have turned out differently had it not been for a combination of sloppy finishing and a goalkeeping masterclass from the now-departed Gianluigi Donnarumma. Arsenal had 4.54 expected goals to PSG’s 2.90.

This number is of little importance in the context of the tie. They were also somewhat affected by the state of play, with PSG’s lead putting the attacking onus on Arsenal. But they suggest their ability to cause trouble. Arteta has more options this time around.

Arsenal’s list of absentees from last season’s meeting includes Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhas and Ricardo Calafiori. Their alternatives were mostly untested academy players or out-of-facility squad options. This time around, they have both a much deeper squad and an almost clean bill of health.

And as well as having more offensive weapons, Arteta has an ever-improving defense. The Gunners kept 9 clean sheets in 14 games en route to the final. They conceded just six goals in total, 16 fewer than PSG’s 22 in the same number of games.

Freshness advantage to PSG?

Arsenal will be aware, however, that PSG have the talent to test their foundations like few other teams. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Demebele and Desire Doue are undoubtedly the best front three in the world, defined by a fluidity that makes them difficult to stop.

Indeed, PSG carry a threat all over the pitch, with 11 different players scoring two or more goals in the competition this season. They attack from all angles. One could plug the gap and open the other.

They also have the potentially important benefit of freshness.

While Arsenal have just ended their dreadful slog at the finish line of the Premier League, PSG have been crowned Ligue 1 champions for the fifth consecutive year in the best part of three weeks.

While Arsenal have had to scrap for every point in their domestic season, PSG’s dominance in France has allowed them to rotate, retaining key players in the Champions League without jeopardizing their domestic chances.

The result is that Arsenal have nine players who have played more than 3,000 minutes in all competitions this season, compared to just three for PSG, saving their energy for the moment.

Arteta delivers fighting speech to Enrique’s praise of deserving champions Arsenal

PSG boss Luis Enrique said the newly-champions before the game Arsenal They deserve the title and say there are no favorites in the final.

“I’m not surprised, especially with what he (Michael Arteta) has done this year,” he said.

“They deserve to win the Premier League, the best team in the league. It wasn’t easy with Man City on their tail.

“Arteta has been there for six and a half years, and she knows them inside and out.”

Asked if PSG were favorites to play, Enrique added: “To be honest I don’t think there are any favourites. The devil is in the details for us, and I think it will be a very close call.

“We have to give everything but enjoy the 90 minutes; there’s always tension. To know how to manage that stress, that’s important.”

Meanwhile, the boss of Arsenal Michael Arteta PSG responded to suggestions they were favourites, saying they were in Budapest to collect the trophy from Paris.

“Well, they are defending the trophy, they are the champions,” he said. “They got it right last season. And we’re here to take that away from them.”

Marquinhos: We prepared for Arsenal set-pieces

PSG captain Marquinhos:

“We’ve played Arsenal a few times, we know what their strengths are and how difficult it is to come up against them.

“In a game, nobody knows what’s going to happen. Set-play, attack.

“Look at the teams we faced: Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

“All these teams are teams that have given us a run for our money. We’ve been able to adapt and we’ve always been able to deal with it.

“The devil knows the details, how to attack, defend and counter. Knows how to defend from set-pieces and we are prepared for all situations.”

Saka: Our fire is going to the finals

Arsenal vice-captain Bukayo Saka:

“I think we have enough fire to play tomorrow. We know the history of the club. We can write history as players to win it for the first time and that’s enough for us.”

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