Who: Paris Saint-Germain vs Arsenal
Content: UEFA Champions League Final
Location: Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary
Date and time: Saturday, May 30th, 6pm (17:00 GMT)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 13:00 GMT ahead of the live text commentary stream.
The winner of this season’s UEFA Champions League will be decided in Budapest on Saturday, with Paris Saint-Germain facing Arsenal in the final.
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Although historically not European powerhouses, both teams have proven their worth in recent years and sit proudly at the head of Europe’s top table, not only as finalists but also as champions of two of the world’s most prestigious domestic leagues.
PSG’s dominance in France’s Ligue 1 is well established, having won 12 of the last 14 league titles, while Arsenal finally took the next step this year after finishing second in the English Premier League for three consecutive years.
Al Jazeera Sports brings you everything you need to know about both teams as they aim to build on their already successful seasons and claim the biggest prize money for club teams on the continent.
How did PSG reach the Champions League final?
PSG finished the 36-team league phase in 11th place, forcing them to qualify for this year’s Champions League playoffs. They were three places behind Manchester City for the final automatic spot in the Round of 16, but two defeats to Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the opening eight games of the competition continued to leave question marks over the defending champions.
In Germany, the highlight was a 7-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen. In the play-offs, Chelsea and Liverpool were beaten 8-2 and 4-0 on aggregate, respectively, after a narrow 5-4 aggregate victory over fellow French side Monaco.
The semi-finals provided a tough test and were a rematch of the league phase matches. A classic 5-4 victory was recorded against Bayern Munich in the French capital, and a nervy 1-1 draw sealed PSG’s place in the second leg in Germany.
How did Arsenal reach the Champions League final?
Arsenal are so far the only team to go an entire Champions League season without losing. The Gunners stormed through the league phase, finishing top of their group with eight wins out of eight games. They conceded only 4 goals while the opposing team scored 24 points.
The Gunners’ qualifications will come under even greater scrutiny in the knockouts. Bayer Leverkusen were eliminated 3-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16, but a one-goal difference allowed the North Londoners to advance to the quarter-finals and semi-finals against Sporting Lisbon and Atletico Madrid.
How did PSG perform in the Champions League last season?
PSG defeated Inter Milan 5-0 in last season’s final, winning the trophy for the first time in the club’s history. Desir Douet scored twice in the win at Munich’s Allianz Arena, leaving no doubt that the French club were worthy winners. After years of trying to sign superstars such as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, it is perhaps fitting that then-19-year-old Frenchman Dou stole the headlines when the Parisian’s most coveted trophy was finally sealed.
How did Arsenal do in the Champions League last season?
To further whet the appetite ahead of Saturday’s final, Arsenal’s Champions League appearance last season was stopped by PSG at the semi-final stage.
Ousmane Dembele scored the only goal of the first leg at the Emirates Stadium in the fourth minute. Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi kept the home side out of sight in the second leg in Paris, with Bukayo Saka scoring to give the Gunners a comfortable victory after losing 3-1 on aggregate.
When was the last time Arsenal beat PSG?
The Gunners recorded a 2-0 win at home in last season’s Champions League match. Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka scored the only goals of the match at Emirates Stadium, both in the first half. However, the statistics showed that PSG had an overwhelming possession rate of 65% and had nine shots on goal compared to Arsenal’s six.
How is PSG doing this season?
PSG have won their fifth straight Ligue 1 title this season, but Lens confirmed the race will continue until at least the final two matches.
Against their closest rivals, the Parisians clinched the title by one game following a 2-1 win against Reims. Goals from Hviča Kvaratskhelia and Ibrahim Mbaye made it mathematically impossible for them to be overtaken. Although the season ended with a 2-1 loss to Paris FC in the derby in the French capital, PSG remained at the top of the table with six points. Paris FC’s defeat was a bit of an annoyance in terms of the cross-city rivalry, considering they were also their closest geographical rivals, who eliminated PSG in the French Cup in January, ending their hopes of winning a consecutive treble.
How have Arsenal fared this season?
Arsenal also had to wait until the penultimate round of games to be crowned English champions, but after waiting 22 years to lift the Premier League trophy again, the Gunners didn’t care when or how that moment came.
Mikel Arteta’s side were at the top of the table for a while, but were pegged to Manchester City. Manchester City briefly topped the table in the final weeks, but draws with Everton and Bournemouth squandered their chances. These allowed the Gunners to fire on all cylinders once again, reclaiming pole position and the title and avenging their defeat to City in the League Cup final. With Southampton’s victory in the quarter-finals, hopes of winning the treble were dashed.
How many times has PSG won the Champions League?
Last season’s Champions League victory was PSG’s first in the competition’s history. They have reached the final once before, but lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in 2019.
By defeating Inter, they became the second French team to lift the trophy, after Marseille beat AC Milan 1-0 in 1993.
How many times has Arsenal won the Champions League?
Arsenal have never won the Champions League before, and this is only their second time reaching the final. The previous attempt ended in failure by Barcelona in 2006, with the Catalan giants recording a 2-1 victory.
English teams have won Europe’s premier club title 15 times, with Liverpool winning six and Manchester United three.
direct confrontation
This will be the eighth time the two have faced each other, and both have won twice so far.
The first match between the two teams was in the former UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, which was later merged with the UEFA Cup to become the Europa League.
Arsenal won 1-0 at home with a goal from Kevin Campbell, and then drew 1-1 in Paris with goals from Gunners’ Ian Wright and PSG’s David Ginola to win 2-1 on aggregate.
PSG team news
Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele was substituted in PSG’s final game of the season due to a calf problem.
The forward was one of the few players not rested for the Champions League final.
Achraf Hakimi and Lucas Chevalier are both injury doubts, but Nuno Mendes is expected to avoid injury.
PSG expected starting lineup
Safonov. Zaire Emery, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes. Neves, Vicinha, Ruiz. Due, Dembele, Kvaratscheria
arsenal team news
Julian Timber is expected to be out for eight weeks with a groin injury, while fellow defender Ben White is also certain to be sidelined with an injury.
Noni Madueke’s hamstring problem is not expected to keep him sidelined, but Bukayo Saka will likely be selected ahead of him in the race for a place on the wing.
Arsenal’s predicted starting lineup
Raya; Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie. Lewis Skelly, Rice. Saka, Odegaard, Trossard. Gokeres
