football.london writers have their say on what will happen in the Champions League final between PSG and Arsenal
08:00, 30 May 2026
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
Arsenal will play in their second ever Champions League final tonight as Mikel Arteta's side take on French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
The Gunners have never won Europe's top club competition so have a chance to make history in Budapest. PSG stand in their way, however, with Luis Enrique keen on retaining the trophy after smashing Inter Milan 5-0 in last season's final.
Arsenal have not lost in the Champions League this season and have only conceded six goals, while PSG have scored 44 goals, averaging 2.75 per match. So who will come out on top? football.london's writers have their say below.
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Tom Canton
Stay in the game. That is what Arsenal need to do in the early stages after what happened in last season’s semi-final between the two sides when Ousmane Dembele scored after just a few minutes.
Ten-minute blocks are how they need to approach the game. Surviving early before building into the match and winning the midfield battle with their superior physicality.
PSG are vulnerable defensively, but that is the element that the Gunners have in spades: their capacity to hold onto leads and shut out opposition teams. How Mikel Arteta chooses his team will be pivotal too, but the pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel was not available when the sides met in May of last season – they could end up being the difference in both boxes, with a goal from a set-piece the obvious threat.
Tom’s prediction: PSG 0-1 Arsenal
Sam Truelove
After lifting the Premier League last Sunday, Arsenal will be on a high. The squad also have Sunday's trophy parade to look forward to no matter the result in the final so I expect Martin Odegaard's and his team to be buzzing.
PSG are something else though. Their 5-4 win over Bayern Munich in the semi-final first leg was devastating, and perhaps shows how sublime they are going forward but also how fragile they can be at the back.
The French champions will have a spell of around 15 to 20 minutes where they are on top and, for me, it's just whether Arsenal can weather that storm. It's a tough one to call but I believe Khvicha Kvaratskhelia could pop up with a goal or two. Vitinha just has a knack of scoring in big games as well.
Sam's prediction: PSG 3-1 Arsenal
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Isaac Seelochan
Arsenal have been heavily criticised for how they've played this season, and it's easy to see why. That style of play could suit them on Saturday, though.
Staying tight and compact will frustrate PSG who will have most of the ball, but could find it difficult to find a way through. You could also see the Gunners' physicality from set-pieces causing Luis Enrique's team all sorts of problems.
Another factor is that only Real Madrid have retained the Champions League before - winning it three years on the bounce between 2016 and 2018. It's extremely rare.
It will be hard to keep PSG out, but they can be got at defensively as seen in the first leg against Bayern in the semi-finals, and I think Arsenal will just nick it on the day.
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Isaac's prediction: PSG 1-2 Arsenal