It will be a tense encounter tomorrow when Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, the recently crowned French and English champions respectively, face off in the Champions League final. A clash between the competition’s best attack and best defence. A battle between the reigning champions and those hoping to snatch away their crown.
But in the end, only one of these two sides will emerge victorious from this clash of the titans. But which one? Patrick Vieira, who wore the Gunners’ colours nearly 500 times between 1996 and 2005, believes that Arsenal have everything it takes to win.
“I’ve always thought that Arsenal were the only team in Europe capable of beating Paris Saint-Germain,” the former midfielder explained in L’Équipe. For the Invincible, Mikel Arteta’s men possess “the athleticism, mobility, pace, power and aggression” needed to bring down the Red and Blues, whom he nevertheless describes as “the best team in Europe” over the last two or three years.
“Arsenal are capable of defending very well. They’re a team that enjoys and is willing to defend – and for long periods. In midfield, they’re quick and possess technical quality,” explains Vieira. “The Kvaratskhelia-Dembélé-Doué trio are exceptional in terms of pace, but Arsenal are a side who are very strong in one-on-one situations. Their defenders are explosive and aggressive. And then the key – we’ve talked about it a lot, of course – is that Arsenal are a side who, from set pieces, are capable of causing PSG a great deal of trouble.”