Champions League: What to Watch in tomorrow's final
Join the Ligue1.com team as we look ahead to tomorrow's Champions League final -- get the latest with our match preview as Ligue 1 McDonald's champions Paris Saint-Germain face Arsenal.
A chance for a historic repeat
Ahead of tomorrow's match, Paris Saint-Germain stand on the edge of history. Besides Real Madrid, no team since AC Milan in 1989/90 has retained the title. And despite somewhat uneven form domestically (a close title race and early elimination from the Coupe de France), Luis Enrique's side has shown up in a big way when the chips are down, turning in a series of impressive displays in the knockout rounds as they eliminated AS Monaco, Chelsea, Liverpool and Bayern Munich.
The manager, however, will have to make a big decision on the fitness of Achraf Hakimi, the Moroccan not having featured in more than a month owing to a hamstring injury. While he had missed time for an ankle injury as well earlier in the season, his fitness will be crucial here against a canny Arsenal attack.
Speaking of attack, while Hakimi is the only decision Enrique will have to make as regards his eleven, he knows that each side will try to go toe-to-toe with the opposition, giving this encounter all the hallmarks of what could be an all-time classic final. Said Enrique pre-match, "We're similar in that we – just like Arsenal – try to make the most of our strengths and abilities, and to do so we need to keep the ball and express ourselves. We can also score from set pieces but we love to keep possession through linking up, looking for ways to break down the opposition, and we have to do that as a team."
1 more day. Big final incoming. 💫 pic.twitter.com/1MgFpZqfuE
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) May 29, 2026
A clash of champions
With the Premier League season having concluded, PSG will face a fellow champion, and one attempting to win the double after edging Manchester City to their first title in more than twenty years. For manager Mikel Arteta -- a former Paris Saint-Germain player, the opportunity to win an elusive European title is clear motivation for a confident side.
Said the Spaniard pre-match "The preparations have been really, really good, focused [and] positive. We are here because we have earned the right to be here in the manner that we have played and performed in the competition. Tomorrow on that field we're going to have to earn the right to go and win the trophy."
Tactically, Arsenal are likely to play a hybridized 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 with Martin Ødegaard lined up as a playmaker ahead of Declan Rice and Miles Lewis Skelly. Eberichi Eze could feature in Ødegaard's place as a number ten, but given the quality of the French champions' midfield, a player more comfortable in possession is likely to get the nod, even if the Norwegian hasn't been at his level best this season.
In attack, Arteta will also have to make a decision, as Kai Havertz and Victor Gyökeres are both in the frame. Havertz will offer pace and the opportunity to stretch Hakimi and a 32-year-old Marquinhos, but given the Swede offers more in terms of goalscoring, he is likely to get the nod over the lanky former Bayer Leverkusen man. Like PSG, Arsenal also face a tough choice at right back. With Ben White injured, Jurrien Tumber is likely to feature, but the Dutchman has himself struggled with fitness, having not played since March, with youngster Cristhian Mosquera the Gunner's next option.
Predicted lineups:
Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): Safonov; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Zaïre-Emery (or Ruiz), Vitinha, Neves; Doué, Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; Timber (or Mosquera), Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Ødegaard; Saka, Gyökeres (or Havertz), Trossard
