Mikel Arteta and Arsenal are gearing up to face PSG in the Champions League final, with the Gunners having overtaken Liverpool this season after a tough spell for Arne Slot
20:23, 29 May 2026
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during a training session ahead of the Champions League final.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during a training session ahead of the Champions League final.(Image: Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Arsenal will face PSG in the Champions League final this weekend with Mikel Arteta's men already having wrapped up the Premier League title this season.
The Gunners are hoping to seal an historic double in Budapest and have already beaten PSG in the recent past. Doing so again on the biggest stage, and winning the Champions League for the first time, would be a huge achievement.
"The preparation has been really, really good, really focused, really positive," Arteta said. "We are here because we have earned the right to be here in the manner that we have played and performed in the competition, and tomorrow on that field we're going to have to earn the right to win the trophy."
In the build-up to the fixture, though, TNT Sports got Liverpool fans talking on social media with a post about Arteta being the first Premier League boss to win the title with a club he had played for.
Technically, of course, that is true. In the Premier League era, Arteta is the only one to do so. However, those of a Reds persuasion were quick to point out that soccer didn't begin in 1992, when the top flight was rebranded.
Kenny Dalglish won the league with Liverpool as a player and then as manager too. And Liverpool supporters writing on X made that known to the broadcaster in response to its initial post.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.(Image: Vince Mignott/DeFodi via Getty Images)
Facing PSG and Luis Enrique, Arsenal faces a big task to win its first European Cup in Hungary.
"[Enrique has] always been a reference since he was a player, because he was a very special player," Arteta continued.
"Then when he became a coach, if you look at his journey when he left Spain and he went abroad and when he came back and what he's done, in particular what he's done with this PSG club and team, you can see his fingerprints all over it.
"The identity, the mentality, the way the players behave, the way they play. So he's been an inspiration and tomorrow we'll be clashing with each other on that touchline."
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Liverpool.com says: Arsenal has already ensured that this season is a good one by winning the league ahead of Manchester City, but collecting the Champions League too would be incredible.
Coming up against PSG, though, it is facing the toughest possible test. Enrique's men are the best in Europe and have the experience of winning the competition last year.
It would be a victory for those who prefer a fluid, attacking style should PSG get the win. Arsenal will have to hope to frustrate and counter well to get over the line, and is the second favorite.