At a Glance:
Arsenal play Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday evening.
The Gunners will be looking to win the competition for the first time ever.
Here are three key battles that are set to determine the outcome at the Puskas Arena.
Arsenal have the opportunity to win a historic double when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest on Saturday evening.
The Gunners were crowned Premier League champions last week when Manchester City failed to beat Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. This ended the North London club’s 22-year wait for a league title, and unsurprisingly, wild celebrations unfolded on the streets of N5.
Martin Odegaard then lifted the iconic trophy in front of 3,000 away fans at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon. Competing with a Manchester City side accused of financial misdemeanours, this was a heroic achievement from Arteta and his players, and they can now build on it.
The Spaniard and his squad can go from having had an outstanding team that ended a long title drought to being the greatest team in the history of Arsenal when they face PSG. The Gunners have never won Europe’s most prestigious competition, let alone in the same season as a league triumph.
However, they will be up against a frightening PSG side who have blown their way past Chelsea, Liverpool and Bayern Munich to get to this stage. Luis Enrique’s team have some of the most talented attackers on the planet, and thus, Arteta’s outfit will need to be at their resilient best to overcome the Parisians.
With that said, here are the key battles that we believe could be pivotal in determining the outcome of the game at the Puskas Arena.
Cristhian Mosquera vs Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Arsenal likely won’t have either of their senior right-backs available for the showpiece event in Hungary. While Arteta could think of an inventive solution to this problem, if he’s learnt anything from his mentor Pep Guardiola over the years, it should be that ‘galaxy braining’ in the big moments isn’t advisable.
Thus, Cristhian Mosquera is the next man up and should start in this role. The Spaniard will have one hell of a task on his hands, pitted up against the wonderfully elusive Khichva Kvaratskhelia.
The Georgian wide man can beat any full-back in a one-on-one battle, let alone a 21-year-old centre-back. Thus, Arsenal will need to make sure Mosquera has adequate protection on this side.
Declan Rice vs Vitinha
While the battles in the wide areas could be the most definitive, the battle in the middle of the park between two of the world’s best midfielders will set the tempo. Immovable object Declan Rice meets beautifully graceful Vitinha.
Rice’s job will be to disrupt PSG’s free-flowing passing patterns in the middle of the pitch, but also to make sure he resists the ridiculously relentless press from the French side. Vitinha will be tasked with making sure Rice has no time on the ball, and the England international will need to use his technical guile to deal with it.
If Rice can physically dominate Vitinha, Arsenal have a real chance.
Bukayo Saka vs Nuno Mendes
While a lot of the focus will be on how Arsenal deal with PSG’s attack, the Gunners must carry their own threat going the other way. Bukayo Saka offers the most hope, and there is reason to be optimistic about his ability to trouble Nuno Mendes.
Mendes has locked down some of the best wingers in world football over the last 12 months, although Saka got the better of him in a couple of matches last season. The Englishman was able to beat the Portuguese full-back on multiple occasions in the League Phase match between the two teams last term.
If Arsenal are to unlock PSG’s defence, it’s likely to be through Saka. Mendes will also pile forward throughout, which should leave space for the Gunners’ talisman to exploit.