Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique belives “the team that plays the best football” will prevail when the holders face an Arsenal side whose approach has not always delighted purists in the Champions League final.
The Ligue 1 champions have been the entertainers in their title defence, leading the scoring charts with 44 goals across 16 matches and completing more than 1,000 passes more than any other team involved, reaching the final with an epic 6-5 aggregate win over a feared Bayern Munich team in the semi-finals.
“Do you know the motivation for winning a second Champions League in a row?” asked the Spaniard, whose previous European title came with Barcelona in 2015.
“It’s even greater than the motivation for winning the first one. I’m expecting a great Champions League final.”
English champions Arsenal are unbeaten on their 14-match run to the final – no other team has lost fewer than two games – including a perfect eight-game league phase.
While PSG’s 5-0 win over Inter in last season’s final ensured they were champions for the first time, the Gunners’ only appearance in the final was a 2-1 defeat against Barcelona in 2006, having led until the 76th minute.
“It is an opportunity to own the moment, because it’s the second time in our history that we are here,” said head coach Mikel Arteta.
“We have the opportunity to write a new chapter in the history of this football club. In order to do that, we have to play with clarity, a lot of courage and a relentless desire to win.”
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Champions League final 2026: PSG v Arsenal team news
Right-back Achraf Hakimi and left-back Nuno Mendes were injury doubts but are available for PSG.
Striker Ousmane Dembele has said he is fully fit, having been replaced during the first half of their 2-1 defeat at Paris FC on May 17.
Forward Noni Madueke suffered a hamstring problem during Arsenal’s 2-1 win at Crystal Palace on Sunday but is expected to be fit, as is right-back Jurrien Timber, who has been out since March with a groin issue.
Defender Ben White is out with a long-term knee injury.
PSG vs Arsenal predicted line-ups in 2026 Champions League final
PSG starting XI: Matvei Safonov; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Warren Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Joao Neves; Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Arsenal starting XI: David Raya; Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori; Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Martin Odegaard; Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyokeres, Leandro Trossard
Where to watch PSG vs Arsenal: TV channel, online live stream
Kick-off on Saturday is at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT). Live TV coverage in the UK is on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate.
Streaming is on the HBO Max app. TNT Sports costs £30.99 a month and is available on a vast range of devices including smart TVs and gaming consoles.
PSG v Arsenal: Champions League final 2025/26 stats
- PSG are the first French club to reach three finals in the competition and the first to appear in consecutive finals. Last season they became the second French side to win the competition, following Marseille’s triumph in 1992/93
- They are the first defending champions to reach the Champions League final since Real Madrid did so in 2016/17 and 2017/18 – both seasons in which they went on to win the title
- Last season they eliminated Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal in the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals, and this season they defeated Chelsea and Liverpool in the round of 16 and quarter-finals.
- The French champions have lost one of their last 12 European matches against English opposition (W9 D2) and two of thei last 17 games in the knockout phase (W13 D2)
- One more goal would allow Paris to match the record for a campaign from the group stage or league phase to the final, set by Barcelona with 45 in 1999/00
- The club from the French capital have never drawn 0-0 in the knockout phase – a run of 64 matches
- Luis Enrique could become the fifth coach to win the title more than twice. Carlo Ancelotti has five and Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola each have three
- Victory would make Luis Enrique the first Spanish coach to win back-to-back titles in the competition since Jose Villalonga with Real Madrid in 1955/56 and 1956/57
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has equalled Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s club record of most goals in a single edition of the Champions League proper for PSG, with 10
- The Georgian forward has more goal involvements than any other player in the knockout phase of this season’s competition – ten (seven goals and three assists)
- Willian Pacho, Vitinha, Warren Zaire-Emery and Nuno Mendes have featured in all 16 matches that Paris have played in the competition this season.
- Joao Neves (21 years and 245 days of age) could become the third-youngest player to reach 40 appearances in the Champions League proper after Warren Zaire-Emery (20 years, 31 days) and Jude Bellingham (21 years, 164 days)
- Arsenal are the fifth different English club to reach the Champions League final in the last eight seasons: Liverpool (twice), Tottenham, Manchester City (twice) and Chelsea are the others
- Arteta’s side could become the seventh English club to lift the trophy after Villa, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest. No other nation has produced more than three different winners
- The Premier League champions could become the 25th different team to win the competition – a season after Paris became the 24th. The last successive new winners were Barcelona and Marseille in 1991/92 and 1992/93
- The Gunners could become the fourth English club to win a double of this competition and the domestic league double, after Liverpool (1976/77 and 1983/84), Man United (1998/99 and 2007/08) and Man City (2022/23)
- This is their longest unbeaten run in their history in the competition
- They are the first team to go unbeaten in the first 14 matches of a single edition of the Champions League.
- Arsenal’s tally of nine clean sheets in this season’s competition is one short of equalling the record for a single edition in the Champions League era, from group stage or league phase to final. Arsenal previously achieved that feat in 2005/06, as did Real Madrid in 2015/16
- Three Spanish coaches have previously reached a Champions League final with a non-Spanish team: Rafa Benítez (Liverpool), Pep Guardiola (Man City) and Luis Enrique (PSG)
- Of the 29 different players Arsenal have used in the Champions League this season, David Raya and Gabriel Martinelli have made the most appearances, with 13 each
- Myles Lewis-Skelly (19 years, 246 days of age) could become the second English player to reach 20 Champions League appearances as a teenager, after Jude Bellingham (19 years, 104 days)
PSG v Arsenal: Champions League final 2026 prediction
PSG 2-1 Arsenal
PSG have scored 24 goals and conceded nine since falling 2-0 behind against Monaco in the knockout stage play-offs, beating English clubs by an aggregate of 12-2 along the way. Expect Arsenal’s defensive rigour to face its sternest test of the season and the holders to prove irresistible again.
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