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The UEFA Champions League final will start at 6 p.m. on Saturday in the Puskás Arena in Budapest with the whistle signal from German Daniel Siebert. The big question is: Arsenal or PSG? Let's see the chances!
Paris Saint-Germain will defend their title, while Arsenal will fight for their first Champions League victory in the club's history, in the final of the most prestigious European football cup series at the Puskás Arena on Saturday from 6 p.m.
The vast majority of experts agree that both the French and English teams deservedly reached the final, and both have also won the championship in their home countries. In the case of PSG, this has become almost usual in recent years, while the London Gunners can experience the season as a real success story, as they won the Premier League trophy again after a 22-year hiatus.
As for the road to the final, Arsenal went 14 games unbeaten, while their Parisian rivals saw off some very high-profile opponents in the knockout stages. The north London team also kept nine clean sheets in their 14 matches, thanks in no small part to goalkeeper David Raya, whose unwavering performance saw the Isles side reach the last 16 as regular season winners.
On the road to Budapest, Arsenal only faced one serious opponent, Atlético Madrid, in the semi-finals, after Bayer Leverkusen and Sporting Lisbon. Here, head coach Mikel Arteta's team overcame two tough matches with a 2-1 aggregate score, and it is expected that the Spanish coach will send his players onto the field for Saturday's final with the same approach, with a mentality that seeks to eliminate the opponent's effectiveness.
On the other hand, the two-time Champions League winner - also Spanish - coach, Luis Enrique, in addition to the team he has formed and which has worked very well in recent seasons, can also rely on his outstanding players capable of unexpected individual flashes, such as the Golden Ball winner Ousmane Dembele, the Georgian Hvicsa Kvarachelia, or even Desire Doué, these footballers played an outstanding role on PSG's road to the final.
The French team, which finished the regular season in 11th place, saw off Monaco in a fierce battle to reach the round of 16, and then marched past a declining Chelsea with an uncompromising game, which they eliminated with an 8-2 aggregate score.
In the round of 8, even Liverpool, the team of Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez, could not stop PSG, but the biggest scalp was collected after that by the Parisians, who saw off Bayern Munich, who many had previously considered a chance of final success, for a flight ticket to Budapest. In the first semi-final clash, in the French capital, the sides played the best match of the Champions League season, thanks to the brilliant performance of the absolutely excellent trio of Dembélé, Doué, and Kvarachelia.
According to several experts, the battle between PSG, which is spectacular, entertaining and also capable of very effective play, and Arsenal, which is usually based on massive defense and dangerous spot kicks, may be decided in the midfield at the Puskás Arena.
For the French, the Portuguese international Vitinha will primarily set the tone, while for the Londoners, the English international Declan Rice will be the "tailor". The big question will be which players the two experts will trust in order to help the managers set up a confident and impenetrable defensive line in the middle of the field.
It could be a warning sign for Arsenal that Luis Enrique has an excellent record in finals, considering the career of the opposing head coach: the Champions League-winning coach in 2015 with FC Barcelona and last year with PSG has participated in 12 cup finals with his teams during his career, winning 11 of them. From this perspective, it is also possible that the Gunners will not necessarily have to prepare well for the technical or tactical challenge, but rather have to do something with the mental added value that the 56-year-old Spanish specialist provides to the opposing footballers.
"The most important thing for us is to focus much more on ourselves and less on our rivals," Luis Enrique said on the European Union (UEFA) website.
"This is the strongest European cup series, so it is essential that we are forced to adapt to some extent, because the standard is very high. At the same time, we can also move higher and higher, and now we are very proud to be in the final again," he added.
His compatriot, Arsenal manager Arteta, primarily emphasized the unity of his team, but also highlighted that there is a lot of quality work to be done in preparing for the final in Budapest.
Everyone has the same desires and ambitions for this club. Sometimes we are lucky and things turn out in our favor, but we put a lot of work, passion and faith in what we do. "Our reward is that we can spend an absolutely incredible day in Budapest," said the 44-year-old specialist.
The two coaches will hold press conferences in the Puskás Arena on Friday afternoon and early evening, and both will also conduct one-hour training sessions for the players.
The Champions League final will start at 6 p.m. on Saturday in the Puskás Arena with the whistle signal from German Daniel Siebert.
Source: MTI.hu
Photo: Maik Schäffer Facebook
