Arsenal are one step away from their greatest ever campaign as a club.
A generation of anguish in the English game has ended with one trophy lift, and the Gunners are possibly just 90 minutes away from a second piece of silverware to wrap up the season in style.
But to achieve that feat, they must find a way past the kings of the continent, who continue to hurdle every obstacle put in their path. So, can Arsenal be the team to topple the continental champions?
·The Parisian puzzle
The Champions League final is a stage set for the biggest stars in Europe. Paris Saint-Germain have given up the approach of hoarding superstars, but they are certainly the star side on the circuit.
Luis Enrique arrived in the summer of 2023 to take the team to the next level, and he has not failed to reach the Champions League semi-final in his three seasons in the French capital. The team have advanced to back-to-back Champions League finals for the first time in their history, and if they win the trophy in Budapest, they will be only the second side to retain the title in its current iteration.
Arsenal know firsthand about the challenges that the Parisiens can pose. A mature display in a 2-0 triumph in the league phase back in October 2024 was against a different calibre of opposition, and it only took three minutes for Ousmane Dembele to break the deadlock at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg of the semi-final. The Ballon d’Or winner has had a less impressive personal season, but it is still littered with big contributions in this competition, aided by talented teammates across the field.
Having set up the strike for Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia wreaked havoc against a partially fit Jurrien Timber at the Emirates, and history could repeat itself on Saturday. The Georgian has ten goals across 15 Champions League appearances this season, registering three strikes against Chelsea, once against Liverpool and twice against Bayern Munich on the way to this final.
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The energy, intelligence and technical quality of the midfield proved capable of challenging the classic physicality from Premier League outfits last year, and Arsenal were no exception to that trend. Joao Neves brought some of that traditional bulldog attitude to the battles in the middle of the park, and Warren Zaire-Emery could be a more industrious option instead of Fabian Ruiz. Around them, Vitinha continues to be the conductor on the ball, and his stock keeps rising at the elite level.
Not unlike Arsenal, PSG place an emphasis on the value that their fullbacks can give them going forwards. Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi are more in the mould of old-school flying fullbacks, but both can arrive in a multitude of positions on the pitch, highlighting how fluid the system is.
Simply put: PSG play with the confidence of a club that know how good their players are. Relentless positivity paired with quality is almost impossible to stop, and so far, no one has found a solution.
·Arsenal’s stubborn setup
But if PSG are the unstoppable force of European football, Arsenal are the immoveable object.
The Gunners have played 14 Champions League fixtures this campaign, keeping nine clean sheets. The foundation for that record is a commitment to collective defending that is embodied by the whole group. Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Odegaard have provided valuable off-ball shifts as substitutes in the latter stages of games during the run-in, Leandro Trossard has taken his defensive application to another level, while Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are well-versed with Arteta’s demands.
The spine of the side continues to excel with that additional protection. Declan Rice remains a lighthouse in the middle of the park, taking the burden from Martin Zubimendi as the six. For his part, the Spaniard has shown a willingness to work himself into the ground, and it would not be a surprise to see him replace Myles Lewis-Skelly as a ‘safer’ option to shore up the centre of the park.
And this conversation could not be complete without mentioning the backline. David Raya is now a three-time Golden Glove winner in the Premier League, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba have a top-notch partnership, and the left back spot no longer seems a problem position for the squad.
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Since the 2-1 loss to Manchester City, the team have seen the ball enter their net three times in seven games. One of those was a penalty from Julian Alvarez against Atletico Madrid, one was a late goal from Jean-Philippe Mateta for Crystal Palace after the league title was decided, and the other was a disallowed goal for Yeremy Pino in the same match. The Gunners have gotten back to first principles at the right moment, and it should not be assumed that they will crumble at the first sight of pressure.
· Confidence as a quality leveller?
The X-factor for Arsenal has been the shift in energy around the club since the start of May.
The triumph against Fulham was not only important for the title charge, but it also infused a renewed belief in the group. Lewis-Skelly starred in the midfield, Saka seemed back to his best, and Gyokeres grabbed the two other first half goals in a performance with the positivity fans have cried out for.
What was more important was to see Arteta’s readiness to stick with the starting eleven that he used against the Cottagers when Arsenal hosted Atletico three days later. If the rotation between the two legs of the Champions League semi-final was meant to just keep legs and minds fresh, it turned into a sliding doors moment where the manager proved a willingness to trust the team he has assembled.
Arteta has rightly built a reputation as a man who obsesses over fine details, but elite level sport is about much more than just intricate plans and complex systems. Much of the greatness that one associates with the best managers in the business comes down to ‘feeling the moment’ and understanding what is required to get the best out of individuals in specific circumstances.
In previous years, it has felt that Arsenal struggle for solutions when they have fell behind in Europe (take the exits against Bayern Munich in 2024 and PSG in 2025) and the Gunners are not thought of being a team that plays ‘on the fly.’ It is not necessarily a bad quality, but the way in which Arteta has built this setup comes with limitations, and it is the job of the manager to be able to recognise those.
This time, he has found a way to get the group in the right headspace when it mattered the most (and bounce back from a rotten run in the first three weeks of April.) Victories against Burnley and Crystal Palace followed, and a first Premier League title since 2004 has been their reward.
The fact that Arsenal have crossed a finishing line that was a step too far in the last three seasons should lift pressure from the players. But it should also instil a belief that it is possible for the team to achieve great things in crunch situations. PSG present the biggest test to their capabilities on paper, but the biggest hurdle to this project has been overcome, so who are we to sell this side short?