Arsenal will walk out at the Puskas Arena on Saturday evening knowing they are just 90 minutes away from achieving something no team in the club’s history has ever managed.
Standing between them and a first Champions League crown are defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, a side that have been every bit as impressive as the Gunners throughout this season’s competition.
It is difficult to imagine a more fitting final.
The newly crowned Premier League champions will face the reigning kings of Europe in a contest between two teams that have spent the season proving they belong among the continent’s elite.
PSG arrive looking to retain the trophy they won last year, while Arsenal are chasing the one prize that has remained frustratingly out of reach despite decades of domestic and European success.
For Arsenal, that reality adds another layer of significance to what is already the biggest match of the season.
Last weekend’s title celebrations finally brought an end to a 22-year wait for a league crown and ensured this group would forever be remembered in club history. Yet the opportunity now in front of them could elevate this team even further.
Winning the Champions League would not only secure Arsenal’s first European Cup but also complete a remarkable domestic and continental double.
It would also finally remove the one lingering question that has followed the club for generations.
From the heartbreak of Paris in 2006 to a series of painful exits in the years that followed, Arsenal have come close before without ever managing to take the final step.
The Champions League has remained football’s ultimate unfinished business for a club that has otherwise experienced almost every major success the game has to offer.
If anyone looks capable of changing that, it is this group.
Arteta’s side have spent the season demonstrating qualities that are essential for success in finals. They have shown resilience during difficult periods, recovered from setbacks and developed a winning mentality that eventually carried them to the Premier League title.
Their unbeaten run in Europe has been equally impressive and suggests they are arriving in Budapest with genuine belief rather than simply hope.
That confidence will be tested against a PSG side packed with attacking quality. Luis Enrique’s men have scored freely throughout the competition and possess enough firepower to trouble any defence in world football.
However, Arsenal can point to their own strength at the opposite end of the pitch. Their defensive record has been one of the foundations of this European run and could prove decisive against a side that thrives on creating chances.
The encouraging aspect for Arsenal is that they head into the final with virtually all of their key players available. After navigating injuries throughout much of the campaign, Arteta finally has the opportunity to deploy his strongest side on the biggest stage.
That does not make Arsenal favourites and it certainly does not make the task easy.
PSG are defending champions for a reason and have earned their place in another final through a series of outstanding performances. Yet Arsenal did not end a 22-year wait for the Premier League title by accident either.
Saturday presents another opportunity to end a long-standing hoodoo.
The chance to lift the one trophy that has always escaped Arsenal is now directly in front of them. To achieve it they will have to overcome the best and beat the best.
For a team already guaranteed a place in Arsenal folklore, the opportunity to become true club legends is there for the taking.