Arsenal take on reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest in three days’ time.
Ahead of the game, PSG have received a timely boost on the injury front with two of their main players back in team training.
Achraf Hakimi has not played since the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich due to a right thigh injury.
L’Equipe claim that the Moroccan intensified individual training last week and privately believes he is 100 percent ready to start on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Ousmane Dembele was substituted early in the final Ligue 1 game of the season against rivals Paris FC due to a calf problem.
The Frenchman was likewise present in yesterday’s training session. Both players are now vying for a place in Luis Enrique’s starting XI.
Arsenal could get their own injury boost
The Gunners go into Saturday’s Champions League final as underdogs, given PSG have some of the best attacking players in world football.
However, Arsenal have been equally impressive in the competition this year. Their defensive record could be a deciding factor in the contest. They have kept nine clean sheets.
PSG won 3-1 in the semi-final stage against Arsenal last season, but the Gunners had plenty of big chances during the double-legged tie.
Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli were guilty of squandering clear-cut opportunities during the first leg (1-0 loss) at the Emirates Stadium.
In the reverse fixture, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a string of world-class saves early on before Les Parisiens went on to win 2-1. Bukayo Saka should have scored more than once.
Hence, Arsenal should go into the final with plenty of optimism and could receive a big injury boost of their own in the form of Jurrien Timber.
Timber has been out since the 2-0 Premier League win over Everton in March with a nagging groin issue, but has not been ruled out of the Champions League final.
Cristhian Mosquera looks likely to handle Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s threat from right-back to start with.
Even if Timber is deemed fit, we doubt whether the Dutchman would be risked straight into the XI. The Dutchman is likely to come on as a second-half substitute.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com