This year’s UEFA Champions League decider is football’s ultimate clash of styles.
Paris Saint-Germain’s free-flowing, attack-minded juggernaut against the defensive solidity and meticulous set-piece wizardry of Arsenal.
Both were recently crowned champions of their respective domestic leagues, something that’s fairly run-of-the-mill for PSG these days, but a massive achievement for the Gunners, who hadn’t won the Premier League since 2004.
If Arsenal can overcome the defending champions in the Champions League final on Sunday morning AEST, it will not only be the first time they’ve pulled off a domestic-European double – it will be the first major European trophy of any description for the North London club.
While that slice of history is massive motivation for Mikel Arteta’s side, the Spanish manager encouraged his players to celebrate after claiming the Premier League title last week.
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“We need to (celebrate) because we need that energy to flow and going against that, I think it will be a big mistake,” Arteta said after Arsenal’s final-day win over Crystal Palace.
“We’ve already talked about what we have to do in Budapest, how we’re going to use all the incredible energy that we’re all carrying towards that final and tomorrow we’re going to start to prepare for it.
“We can’t wait to write for the new chapter in the history of our club and win the Champions League.”
Arsenal players celebrate Premier League title
PSG, meanwhile, are chasing back-to-back European titles for the first time in their history, a feat that would perhaps solidify their standing as the premier club side of the current era.
It would cap a remarkable few seasons for their coach Luis Enrique, who inherited a team in mid-2033 that had just seen Lionel Messi leave, with Kylian Mbappe following him out the door a year later.
Rather than going in for more superstars of that calibre, Enrique has instead built a squad packed with exciting young talents, including French young guns Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola – though they did also splash some cash to lure Khvicha Kvaratskhelia away from Napoli, and signed Ousmanne Dembele from Barcelona in one of Enrique’s first acts as PSG coach.
The French giants featured in one of the greatest games in Champions League history in their semi-final first leg clash against Bayern Munich, winning 5-4 before playing out a 1-1 draw in the second leg to book their spot in the decider.
Will Arsenal be able to shut down their sensational attacking threats?
It remains the great unknown heading into the biggest game of club football this year. Here are the key details for the Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal.
Match Details and How to Watch
Paris Saint-Germain vs Arsenal, UEFA Champions League final
Date: Sunday 31 May (Australian time) / Saturday 30 May (European time)
Kick-off: 2am AEST / 5pm local
Venue: Puskas Arena, Budapest
Broadcast: Stan Sport
The Squads
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
Goalkeepers: Lucas Chevalier, Matvey Safonov, Renato Marin.
Defenders: Achraf Hakimi, Lucas Beraldo, Marquinhos, Illia Zabarnyi, Lucas Hernandez, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho.
Midfielders: Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Senny Mayulu, Dro Fernandez, Warren Zaire-Emery, Joao Neves.
Forwards: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Goncalo Ramos, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Lee Kang-In, Bradley Barcola, Quentin Ndjantou, Ibrahim Mbaye.
ARSENAL
Goalkeepers: David Raya, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Tommy Setford.
Defenders: Ben White, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie, William Saliba, Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber.
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze.
Forwards: Gabriel Jesus, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka.