**In one of the biggest games in our history, the reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain stand between us and a first Champions League title, as two of the biggest names in world football go head-to-head in a mouthwatering final**
The team from the French capital need no introduction, but how much do you know about their past glories and present stars? Here’s all you need to know about our opponents:
THE HISTORY
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PSG are a relatively new club, having begun life in 1970 following a merger between Paris FC and Stade Saint-Germain and was crowdfunded by supporters. The Division 2 title was claimed in their first season, but within three years, behind-the-scenes disagreements saw Paris FC split away again and PSG demoted to the third tier.
Using their youth team, they earned back-to-back promotions to reach the top-flight again, where they have remained ever since. The first of 16 French Cups arrived in 1982, and three years later they won their maiden league championship, but financial problems saw a swift decline.
A takeover from TV station Canal+ ushered in an era of success including a second league title in 1994 and a first European success in the form of the 1996 Cup Winners’ Cup. However the 2000s gave way to more struggles and even a flirtation with relegation, but a Qatari-based takeover in 2011 changed everything. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have helped them dominate French football since, winning 12 league titles in the past 14 seasons, before they finally captured the Champions League 12 months ago.
THE STADIUM
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Sport has been played on the Parc des Princes site since 1897, including matches at the 1938 World Cup, and two previous stadiums were built and later demolished before the current structure was created in 1972.
PSG played their first game there a year later, and across the next 25 years, it regularly held French Cup finals, international football and rugby matches, European Cup finals and the final of Euro 84 when France won their first major honour. It was also where we lost the 1994/95 Cup Winners' Cup final against Real Zaragoza.
The creation of the Stade de France in 1998 has seen its status as France’s premier sporting venue diminish, but it has continued to be utilised for the 1998 World Cup, the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Euro 2016 and the 2024 Olympic Games. It currently has a capacity of 48,229 but there are hopes to begin expanding that in the coming years.
THE MANAGER
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Luis Enrique is now in his third season in charge of PSG, and he recently reached 600 games in management. A highly decorated midfielder during his playing days, he represented both Real Madrid and Barcelona and won three La Liga titles and a Cup Winners’ Cup, plus an Olympic gold medal with Spain, whom he represented at three World Cups.
After hanging up his boots in 2004, he succeeded Pep Guardiola as Barcelona B manager, and after stints at Roma and Celta Vigo returned to the Nou Camp in 2014. In his three seasons in charge, he won the 2015 Champions League, the Club World Cup and completed two league and cup doubles, and after four years as Spain manager, he headed to Paris, where success has followed, with seven major honours to his name so far.
LAST SEASON
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Despite seeing Mbappe depart for Real Madrid, PSG clinched their fourth successive Ligue 1 title with six games to play. With that in the bag, the only question left was whether they could complete a first-ever undefeated French top-flight campaign, but a 3-1 loss at home to Lyon saw them finally taste defeat in game 31 of 34.
They still finished 19 points clear of bitter rivals Marseille, and then clinched a sixth domestic double by beating Reims 3-0 in the French Cup final. However, the trophy they really wanted was the Champions League title, as they aimed to become the ninth European club - and the first from France - to complete a treble.
Despite being beaten five times in the competition and finishing 15th in the league phase, they made it through to the final by knocking out fellow countrymen Brest, Liverpool, Aston Villa and ourselves. However, they saved their best performance for when it mattered most, when they destroyed Inter Milan 5-0 to record the biggest winning margin in a major European final, and finally get their hands on the continent's biggest cup.
THE SQUAD
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Unsurprisingly as European champions, PSG boasts a wealth of talent. Ousmane Dembele was crowned the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner after scoring 37 times last season, while the acquisition of Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in January 2025 pushed the Parisian to another level as he became one of world football's most feared wingers.
Their attacking options are further bolstered with exciting French duo Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue, who are included in their nation's World Cup squad alongside Dembele, left-back Lucas Hernandez and Warren Zaire-Emery. A quartet of Portuguese players in striker Goncalo Ramos, key midfield duo Joao Neves and Vitinha, as well as defender Nuno Mendes are also heading to the tournament.
Fabian Ruiz was named in the Euro 2024 Team of the Tournament after starring for champions Spain, while right-back Achraf Hakimi played a big role in helping Morocco reach the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup. Brazilian defender and the club’s record appearance holder Marquinhos captains the side, marshalling a backline that has Matvey Safonov between the posts.
THE SEASON SO FAR
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While they couldn't quite land the Club World Cup after losing to Chelsea in the final, the Parisians have since become one of only three teams in history to complete a sextuple, joining Barcelona in 2009 and Bayern Munich in 2020. After defeating Tottenham Hotspur in August's UEFA Super Cup final, they clinched the French Super Cup by beating Marseille on penalties, having landed a first FIFA Intercontinental Cup in the same fashion against Flamengo.
A fifth Ligue 1 title in succession was clinched after Lens pushed them hard, but a 2-0 success over their nearest rivals a fortnight ago was enough to get them over the line. A shock exit in the round of 32 of the French Cup to neighbours Paris FC ended any hopes of a double-treble.
But they could become the first club to retain the Champions League since Real Madrid in 2018. After failing to win any of their last three league phase games, they finished 11th and met Monaco in the play-off round, narrowly progressing 5-4 on aggregate. Chelsea and Liverpool were cruised past before an incredible semi-final with Bayern Munich, which saw them race into a 5-2 lead before conceding twice, but a 1-1 draw in Germany booked their ticket to Budapest.
### THE PREVIOUS MEETINGS
We first met the Parisians in the 1993/94 European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final. A 1-1 draw in France was followed by a 1-0 home success with the late Kevin Campbell grabbing the crucial goal to book our spot in the final, when we beat Parma to lift the silverware.
There were also a pair of draws in the 2016/17 Champions League group stage when Alexis Sanchez cancelled out a first-minute Edison Cavani strike in the French capital. In an entertaining affair in N5, Cavani again opened the scoring before Giroud and a Marco Verratti own goal put us ahead, but another own goal, this time from Alex Iwobi, saw the spoils shared again.
Our league-phase encounter in October 2024 saw us claim a 2-0 success at Emirates Stadium, with Kai Havertz nodding in a header before Bukayo Saka saw a free-kick into the box find the net. We then met again in the semi-final, but Dembele's early strike secured Enrique's team a key 1-0 win at Emirates Stadium, before Ruiz and Hakimi struck in the second leg. Saka pulled one back, but the 2-1 loss saw us exit, in what was our last defeat in the competition.
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