David Raya has equalled a Premier League clean sheet record for Arsenal. The Spaniard claimed the Premier League Golden Glove for the third consecutive season, keeping 21 clean sheets in 37 league appearances to match David Seaman’s previous club record. Across all competitions this term, Raya has registered 27 clean sheets in 49 matches, underlining his status as the undisputed number one since his £27million permanent move from Brentford. Despite managing minor physical issues — a “dead back, a dead glute and a dead shoulder” — the 30-year-old is expected to be fit for Saturday’s Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest.
Defence: from injury crisis to settled spine
Arsenal’s right-back department has been decimated by injuries. Jurrien Timber has not featured since March because of ankle and groin problems, and Ben White is the only confirmed absentee for the final after suffering a significant MCL knee injury in the 1-0 win at West Ham. White will miss the remainder of the campaign and faces an uncertain recovery that could extend into the 2026-27 season. However, Timber has been declared fit and available to start after training fully, offering Mikel Arteta a major boost. PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, who scored the opening goal in last season’s 5-0 final victory over Inter Milan, has also been cleared to play after a thigh injury sustained against Bayern Munich. He missed the closing weeks of the domestic season but returned to training and received the all-clear from manager Luis Enrique, who confirmed: “OK, they are able to play tomorrow.” Hakimi’s relentless energy, quality of delivery and defensive nous make him the standout choice at right-back.
At centre-back, Arsenal’s Premier League champions boast an almost inseparable partnership. Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba have starred not only from set-pieces but in the biggest games against the biggest names. Gabriel’s aggressive, front-footed defending is complemented by Saliba’s pace as a sweeper in behind — the Brazilian won 65.93% of aerial duels this season and regained possession 491 times, while the Frenchman has a FotMob rating of 7.16 in the Premier League and 16 clean sheets in 32 Champions League appearances. PSG’s Willian Pacho and Marquinhos are a formidable duo, but Gabriel’s aerial dominance and Saliba’s quality on and off the ball give the Arsenal pair the edge.
The left-back position demands the most explanation, because it is here that Nuno Mendes is widely considered the world’s best. Arsenal have three capable contenders — Piero Hincapié, Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly — each with distinct strengths. Hincapié offers aggression in the challenge and a defender’s nastiness combined with an eye for a pass and awareness in attack. Calafiori excels in tight interplay around the penalty box and one-on-one defending. Lewis-Skelly has shown no fear on the biggest stage and drifts into midfield to create numerical overloads. None of them, however, comes close to Mendes. The Portuguese left-back embodies the perfect modern full-back: athleticism, creativity, an eye for goal and defensive solidity. He has been cleared to play after nursing a dead leg, and his combination of pace, technique and positional intelligence makes him impossible to pass up. Luis Enrique confirmed Mendes is fit, and his presence on the flank is a decisive factor in PSG’s tactical setup.
Midfield: Rice forces PSG to make room
Central midfield is where the combined XI sees a forced change. PSG’s regular trio of Joao Neves, Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz is disrupted by the addition of Arsenal’s £100million man Declan Rice. The England international has had a stellar campaign operating in a more advanced No.8 role, fielded on the left of Arteta’s 4-3-3. He is given licence to join attacks or start them with his trademark darts from midfield, carrying the ball powerfully through the thirds, and his set-piece delivery is a further weapon. Rice is expected to start, and his presence pushes Fabian Ruiz out of the lineup.
Joao Neves’ all-action game — his unrelenting ground coverage, duel-winning ability, progressive passing and eye for goal — made him a priority signing for PSG. Vitinha, described as a “phenomenon” by former striker Pauleta and compared to Iniesta and Pedri, has filled the boots of the departed Marco Verratti with consummate ease. The Portuguese technician glides through busy corridors, creates from the tiniest pockets of space, keeps things ticking over and understands his defensive positioning. This season he has contributed one goal and one assist in the Champions League and one goal and three assists in Ligue 1, while clocking 12.3km in one match and completing the second-highest number of passes in another. His versatility across defensive, central and attacking midfield roles makes him the orchestrator of Enrique’s system.
Forwards: PSG’s firepower edges Arsenal’s academy stars
On the right wing, Bukayo Saka has risen from Arsenal’s academy to captain his boyhood club in the absence of Martin Ødegaard, but his output has dipped slightly this season: 11 goals and eight assists in 45 games across all competitions. Bradley Barcola, meanwhile, offers electrifying pace, two-footedness and the ability to do the unexpected, striking fear into full-backs. The PSG winger has 11 goals and one assist in 29 Ligue 1 appearances and two goals and four assists in 15 Champions League games. Saka scored in Arsenal’s 2-0 league-phase win over PSG last season, but Barcola’s capacity to operate off both flanks and his unpredictability give him the nod.
Up front, Ousmane Dembélé is the current Ballon d’Or holder and has been transformed by Luis Enrique from a tricky winger into a false nine. He drops deep to link play, lures out centre-backs and gives the two flanking forwards space to exploit with their pace. Dembélé himself is frighteningly quick and can play on the shoulder of the last defender to latch onto threaded through balls. His nature as a “big-game player” was demonstrated in the knockout stages, and he has been declared fit after a calf issue picked up in PSG’s final league game, stating he is “100% ready and raring to go.” Viktor Gyökeres and Kai Havertz are not in his class.
On the left wing, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has exploded into life this term, scoring ten goals in 15 Champions League games and making the berth previously held by Neymar his own. Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard have provided big moments for Arsenal, but they are nowhere near the Georgian’s level. PSG’s 44 goals in this year’s tournament are the second-most scored by a team in a single edition, behind Barcelona’s 45 in 1999-2000, and Kvaratskhelia has been central to that output.
The final pits two former Barcelona teammates against each other in Arteta and Enrique, with Arteta calling Enrique a “reference” throughout his career. Arsenal are aiming to complete a rare domestic and European double in their first Champions League final, while PSG are the defending champions, unbeaten in their last 11 knockout matches in the competition (nine wins, two draws) and having won their last five knockout ties against English clubs. The meeting is the first-ever major European final between clubs from France and England, a landmark occasion that will be decided at the Puskás Aréna on Saturday, May 30.
