At a Glance:
Arsenal take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on Tuesday night.
The Gunners come into this clash unbeaten in the competition this season.
David Raya and Gabriel Martinelli have been at the heart of this run.
Arsenal supporters do not need another hollow history lesson before Saturday. What they do need is a clear reminder of how this team have actually reached Budapest.
UEFA’s latest final-week numbers offer exactly that, showing David Raya and Gabriel Martinelli have been Arsenal’s most-used players in this Champions League run and helping explain why Arteta’s side still feel built on repeatable habits rather than one-off moments.
The Gunners booked their place in this showpiece European event by beating Atletico Madrid in a tense two-legged semi-final. Now, a different and much more challenging proposition awaits.
David Raya and Gabriel Martinelli key to Arsenal’s Champions League hopes
UEFA’s latest key-stats package indicates that Arsenal have used 29 different players in this season’s Champions League, with Raya and Martinelli making the most appearances by featuring in 13 matches each.
The governing body’s finalists profile adds the bigger competitive frame: Arsenal topped the league phase with eight wins from eight, scored 23 times, conceded only four goals in that stage and have had 12 different outfield scorers across the campaign.
That matters because it paints Arsenal’s route to the final as something broader than one superstar carrying the team. Raya has been the constant behind the defensive platform, while Martinelli’s workload says plenty about how much Arteta still trusts his pace, intensity and discipline in Europe’s biggest games.
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— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 5, 2026
Finals can turn into nights where everyone looks for one saviour, but Arsenal’s best route has rarely looked like that under Arteta. It has looked more like structure, repeatability and enough different threats to stop opponents loading up on one obvious danger.
Raya’s place in the numbers is no surprise. Arsenal’s European run has been built on control and clean defending, and UEFA’s data shows they are one clean sheet short of matching the competition-era single-season record they set themselves in 2005/06.
Martinelli’s place is the more revealing part. He has not always been the loudest name in the final-week conversation, but if he is level with Raya for appearances, that tells Arsenal supporters he remains one of the manager’s most trusted competition players.
In a final against PSG’s speed and aggression, that work-rate matters.
The wider context for Arsenal
These numbers do help explain why Arsenal remain the only unbeaten side left in this season’s competition. Arteta’s team are 11 wins and three draws into the run, and they are a side who can win matches in several different ways rather than leaning on one pattern alone.
That is the encouraging read for Arsenal. The caution is obvious too. PSG are the holders, have scored 44 goals in the competition and bring more individual star power into the final. So the squad-depth story is not proof Arsenal will win.
It is simply a reminder that they have reached this point through collective strength, and that remains their clearest path on Saturday.