Paris Saint-Germain will face Arsenal in Budapest tonight as the Parisians look to retain their Champions League title. Meanwhile, the Gunners will be hoping to lift their first UCL title in the club’s history. Both sides have already tasted success this season, having won their respective domestic leagues.
There have not been many previous meetings between the two sides, but PSG did knock Arsenal out in the semi-final of this competition last season, on their way to the crown, winning 1-0 at the Emirates and 2-1 at the Parc des Princes in the return leg. However, you only have to go back as far as October 2024 to find the last time Arsenal beat PSG, a 2-0 win at home.
Gunners gaffer Mikel Arteta confirmed that Jurrien Timber is back fit and in contention for this evening’s game. If he takes part, it will be the Dutchman’s first appearance since March 14th. Noni Madueke is also available, but Ben White will remain on the sidelines due to injury.
Arteta went on to speak about how his side can use last year’s defeats to PSG to fuel the fire ahead of today. “We certainly use examples and things that we learned from those matches, and there is a lot to take from there. But it is true that we have evolved in a different way, and they have evolved in a different way. Their scenario is different as well. We took some learnings and things that we have to do better, and I am sure that will happen tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Luis Enrique stands on the verge of history at PSG; a win for his side today would see them join just eight other clubs who have retained club football’s crown jewels previously. Enrique himself has already won it twice; his prior success came at Barcelona in 2015.
The Spaniard gave his thoughts ahead of the final, “We’ve spent time analysing an opponent that we know very well, we’ve played against them a few times. There are always things you can fine-tune, and that’s what we do in our sessions. Managing the final is always different, and you have to make the most of it.
“Final’s always a difficult game. Last year was exceptional; we dominated against Inter. In the final tomorrow, I don’t think there’s a favourite, honestly. For us, the devil’s in the detail. We’ll have to give it our all for all 90 minutes, but always enjoy those 90 minutes.”
This evening’s game will kick off at 5pm (UK time).