WORLD NEWS: “There are no favorites”: PSG and Arsenal face each other in a Champions League final with a reserved prediction
Global Update:
International observers are closely monitoring the latest developments as new information continues to emerge.
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique stated that “there are no favorites” ahead of the Champions League final against Arsenal. It is often said that opposites attract, and Paris Saint-Germain’s irresistible offensive power carried them to this Saturday’s attractive Champions League final against a defensively solid Arsenal in Budapest. Luis Enrique assured that “there are no favorites” in the confrontation against the Premier League champions led by Mikel Arteta and stressed that the outcome will depend on “the details.” Although bookmakers consider the Ligue 1 champions the favourite, they also suggest this is the most difficult final to predict since 2018, when Real Madrid beat Liverpool. Read alsoChampions League: Is Willian Pacho, PSG’s Ecuadorian, “the best defender in the world”? Only one of the two teams managed to score in each of the last seven finals of the tournament, something that could be repeated at the Puskás Arena stadium, taking into account the approach expected from Arsenal. The “Gunners”, undefeated in this edition of the competition, have kept a clean sheet nine times and have only conceded six goals. Many anticipate that the London team will retreat and seek to punish PSG through set pieces. “It will be decided by the details,” said the Parisian captain Marquinhos, agreeing with his coach. “How to defend, how to attack… how to defend a still ball and also how to take advantage of it in attack. All the small details of a football match, and especially a final, are going to be important.” Arsenal’s players have played many more minutes this season than PSG’s, but winger Bukayo Saka ruled out that this greater workload could take its toll on them. “A match like this is not going to be decided by the minutes accumulated, but by the moments,” declared the England international. PSG’s players warm up during a training session ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, May 29, 2026. © AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda – Vadim Ghirda Making history Finally winning the Champions League would mean a lot for Arsenal, not only for the current squad, but also for previous generations who never managed to lift the trophy. Patrick Vieira, club legend and captain of the historic “Invincibles” team, sent a video message of support to the current captain, Martin Ødegaard. “It was something special. He is a true club legend for everything he did,” Ødegaard said. “Now we have the opportunity to achieve something that they couldn’t achieve either. It’s a very nice motivation.” In 2006, the only Champions League final they had played so far, Arsenal lost in Paris to Barcelona. In addition, they have lost their last four European finals. Saka revealed that another great historical figure of the club, Thierry Henry, a member of that 2006 team, also wrote to him on Friday and was waiting for him at the stadium to witness Arsenal’s last training session before the final. Henry is probably the best-known face among the tens of thousands of Arsenal fans who traveled to Budapest, many of them enjoying the summer atmosphere in the Hungarian capital’s famous ruin bars. Read alsoPSG longs for another glory in the Champions League against a solid Arsenal Luis Enrique could become only the fifth coach to win the competition on three or more occasions, after having previously won it with Barcelona. For Arteta, who admired the Asturian coach when they both met at the Catalan club, his rival is already one of the best coaches in the world. “He has always been a reference for me since I was a player,” said the Arsenal coach. “He has been an inspiration and tomorrow we will face each other from the benches.” Beyond expanding Arsenal’s record, the Londoners can also make history for English football, after Aston Villa won the Europa League and Crystal Palace won the Conference League. If Arteta’s team wins, it will be the first time since the 1989-1990 season that the same country has achieved a treble of European titles, something that Italy achieved then with AC Milan, Juventus and Sampdoria. For PSG, new continental success would also have enormous meaning for France. The Parisian club would become the only French team with more than one European Cup. In the modern era, only Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid have managed to successfully defend the title, winning three consecutive editions between 2016 and 2018. However, for the players, it all comes down to a single match. “It’s a game that everyone wants to play, that everyone watches and that you have to win,” summarized PSG midfielder João Neves. This article is an adaptation of its original in English
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Source: This article was originally published by France 24 – Noticias y actualidad internacional en vivo and adapted for our international English-speaking audience.
Read the original article here.