BUDAPEST — UEFA Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain faces Arsenal in Saturday’s final in Budapest aiming to defend their crown.
The Gunners have never won the trophy but after clinching the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years, Mikel Arteta’s side believe they can dethrone the French champions.
AFP Sport looks at five key talking points ahead of the clash at the Puskas Arena.
This season Arteta’s team have sometimes struggled to create from open play, but they have produced incredible danger from dead ball situations.
Arsenal’s physical players cause havoc at corners, particularly centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes, and they will look to put PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov under heavy pressure, perhaps their weakest link.
Set piece coach Nicolas Jover is considered the best in the business and nearly 40 per cent of Arsenal’s goals in their run to the Premier League title came from dead ball situations.
“People may say that they don’t score team goals, but who cares about that?” said PSG coach Luis Enrique, acknowledging Arsenal’s effective tactics. “Ask any Arsenal fan and I’m sure they’re delighted.”
Arsenal is boosted by Jurrien Timber’s return to fitness after a groin injury, particularly given the biggest problem for Arteta to solve is how to handle PSG’s left flank.
Winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has arguably been the competition’s best player, scoring 10 goals for the French side, and behind him at left-back Nuno Mendes is a dynamic force going forward.
Arteta must decide whether to put Timber straight into the line-up after two-and-a-half months out, or if he will deploy centre-back Cristhian Mosquera on the right.
Declan Rice has also been used there in Timber’s absence, but the midfielder will be vital in the centre of the pitch up against PSG’s Vitinha.
Many of Arsenal’s likely starting line-up in the final have played over 3 000 minutes each this season across all competitions, with Declan Rice, William Saliba, Gabriel, Martin Zubimendi and David Raya hitting 4 000.
Arteta has stayed faithful to a core of players and insisted his team should not use fatigue as an “excuse”.
“That’s the context and that’s the scenario, and we have to embrace it and especially enjoy the opportunity,” said the Spanish coach last month, in the thick of the title race.
By contrast, Luis Enrique has been able to rotate and rest many of his first-choice players in Ligue 1 as PSG claimed their 12th title in the last 14 years.
Only Willian Pacho, Vitinha and Warren Zaire-Emery have more than 3 000 minutes banked this season.
“Rest is also an integral part of preparation, especially when we’re playing matches like these,” said Luis Enrique before the final.
PSG did compete at the Club World Cup last summer though, increasing the need for the Asturian coach to balance his players’ game-time.
The statistics of both sides lead many to imagine the final will turn out to be a question of whether the ‘unstoppable force’ of PSG can break down Arsenal’s ‘immovable object’.
Arsenal has conceded just six goals in the tournament, staying unbeaten, and goalkeeper David Raya has nine clean sheets, matching the all-time record.
In front of him, Gabriel and William Saliba form a formidable centre-back pairing for Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele to try and break through, amply supported by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue.
PSG has scored 44 goals in the tournament, one short of the record of 45 set by Barcelona in the 1999-2000 campaign.
PSG outgunned Bayern Munich with a thrilling 5-4 victory in the first leg of the semifinal clash, leaving the world licking their lips and waiting for more entertainment from the second leg.
However wily coach Luis Enrique changed his gameplan considerably and PSG played far more conservatively in Munich, securing a 1-1 draw to reach the final.
Always keen to spring a surprise on his opponents, Luis Enrique said the Ligue 1 champions would adapt their game to face Arsenal.
“We’ll have to adapt to play and defend in a different way compared to what we usually do if we want to get the better of them,” said Luis Enrique.
Goalkeeper Safonov blasted the ball off the pitch several times, as a strategy to congest the areas around dangerous Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise.
“We have analysed everything they do in every phase,” said Arteta.
“We’ve prepared the possible scenarios. We try to understand the purpose behind what they do and what they want to achieve.”
