Arsene Wenger has backed Arsenal to beat PSG in the Champions League final on Saturday, saying the trophy is the only thing missing from the Emirates cabinet and that if he had to bet, he would put his money on Mikel Arteta’s side over Paris Saint-Germain.
There is nobody in world football better qualified to understand the weight of this moment than Wenger. He was in the dugout in Paris in 2006 when Arsenal came closer than they have ever come to winning the Champions League, leading Barcelona by a goal with thirteen minutes remaining before the ten men of Arsenal were eventually beaten 2-1. He knows exactly what it means to be this close and not get over the line. He also knows, perhaps better than anyone outside of London Colney, what it would mean for this club to finally win it.
Speaking to UEFA ahead of Saturday’s final, where Arsenal’s defensive brilliance this season has been central to their run to Budapest, Wenger was unambiguous about where his heart and his head both lie.
“I want this trophy to go to the Emirates because it’s missing there,” he said. “We touched it before — we were thirteen minutes away from winning it — so you want it to happen this time.”
What Wenger said about Arsenal’s Champions League final chances against PSG
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“I still believe it’s fifty-fifty in the final, and if I had to bet, I would bet on Arsenal more than on Paris Saint-Germain,” Wenger told UEFA.
He was equally clear on what he believes this moment represents in the broader story of the club: “I feel the club deserves it, this season deserves it and the consistency of the team deserves it. I think Arsenal have slowly built a history that now allows them to win it. I also feel the time has come for Arsenal to dominate the Premier League consistently.”
That last sentence is the one that will land hardest with Arsenal supporters. The Premier League title is already won. The Champions League final is here. And the man who laid the foundations of everything this club is says the time has come. It is difficult to argue with him.
Wenger’s message to Arteta and what he thinks will decide the final
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When Wenger was asked about the key factors that would determine the outcome in Budapest, he identified Arsenal’s defensive strength as the most significant asset Arteta can deploy. “This Arsenal team’s main strength is their ability to keep a clean sheet, and in a final that is very important,” he said. “Then you have to be efficient. Your moment will come in the game and you have to be ruthless.”
He acknowledged PSG’s attacking quality without being deterred by it: “Paris Saint-Germain have huge attacking potential, but Arsenal also have individual quality and are very strong on set pieces, which can have a huge influence in a final. Once you are 1-0 up, everything starts to play to your strengths when you are strong defensively. Arsenal can always be dangerous.”
His message to Arteta was simple and perfectly weighted: “Do what you usually do and try to be relaxed, even though I know that’s impossible. Instil strong belief in your team. He knows how to do that. He knows the players better than I do. Keep the togetherness the team has shown all season and that will be enough.”
Why Wenger’s backing means everything ahead of this Arsenal Champions League final
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Wenger now serves as FIFA’s Head of Global Development and watches football with a perspective that spans decades. He is not a man given to sentiment at the expense of honesty. When he says he would bet on Arsenal, he means it as a genuine assessment, not a PR exercise driven by loyalty.
He was thirteen minutes away in 2006. He has spent twenty years watching the club he built continue to grow into what it has become under Arteta. And he is sitting in Budapest this weekend believing that this is the night it finally happens. That is enough for us.
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