As Arsenal prepare to take on Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest, Kai Havertz says their tag as underdogs “doesn’t matter”.
The Gunners go into their meeting with the French champions buoyed by their own title win but given PSG are defending the Champions League crown, they carry the tag of being favourites.
Havertz has already lifted the Champions League, socring the only goal as Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 in Porto to claim their second-ever Champions League title in 2021.
Now, Havertz is hoping to “get that feeling again” when Mikel Arteta’s side take to the Puskas Arena on Saturday (17:00 BST).
“For me, there are obviously positive emotions,” Havertz said. “I cannot wait to play in that game and bring the trophy home to north London.
“We have a lot of players that have played in big games like this before. Obviously, Kepa [Arrizabalaga] and I played in that final [with Chelsea] and we won it. I can only give the team good memories of myself, so maybe that will help.
“I just cannot wait to be in Budapest and to play in that game.
“Personally, it [the first Champions League title] is something I will never forget. We were the underdogs on that day, for sure. We hadn’t had the best season, but obviously it is completely different now [with Arsenal].
“As a kid, I could’ve never dreamed I would score a goal in a Champions League final and win that game. It is a moment I will never forget, I will always be proud of it.
“I will just try to take that feeling into Saturday and, hopefully, I will get that feeling again.”
On whether he believes Arsenal are the “underdogs” against Paris St-Germain, he said: “They won it last year, so they were probably the best team in Europe. They’ve had an unbelievable season yet again.
“For us, it is the second time this club has made it to the [Champions League] final. We have so much confidence because we have been fighting at the highest level for a couple of years now, and we have finally won the Premier League. I think that gives us a big boost.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re the underdog or whatever [in these situations]. We are just going to go on the pitch and we are going on it to beat them. We will go for it.”