PSG vs Arsenal: Champions League final – teams, start time, lineups

Who: Paris Saint-Germain vs Arsenal
What: UEFA Champions League final
Where: Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary
When: Saturday, May 30, at 6pm (17:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 13:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.

The winners of this season’s UEFA Champions League will be decided in Budapest on Saturday, as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) face Arsenal in the final.

Although not historically two of Europe’s powerhouses, both sides have proved their worth in recent years and now sit proudly at the head of Europe’s top table – not only as finalists but as champions of two of the most famed domestic leagues in the world.

PSG’s dominance in France’s Ligue 1 is well established, winning 12 of the last 14 league titles, while Arsenal’s three consecutive second-placed finishes in the English Premier League finally saw them take the next step this year.

Al Jazeera Sport takes you through all you need to know about the two sides aiming to top already successful seasons with the biggest prize of all for club teams on the continent.

How did PSG reach the Champions League final?

PSG were forced into the playoffs of this year’s Champions League after finishing 11th in the 36-team League Phase. They were three places behind Manchester City in the final automatic qualifying spots for the round of 16, as two defeats – by Barcelona and Bayern Munich – in the eight-game phase to start the competition left question marks dangling over the defending champions.

There was the highlight of a 7-2 thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. The playoffs resulted in a narrow 5-4 aggregate triumph against fellow French outfit, Monaco, before 8-2 and 4-0 aggregate demolitions of Chelsea and Liverpool respectively.

The semifinal provided a sterner test, and a rerun of the league phase match, as a 5-4 classic was recorded in the French capital against Bayern Munich, with a nervy 1-1 draw sealing PSG’s passage in the second leg in Germany.

How did Arsenal reach the Champions League final?

Arsenal are the only side to have gone through the entire Champions League season, to date, without suffering defeat. The Gunners stormed the League Phase to top the group with eight wins in eight games – and only four goals conceded while 24 were smashed in at the other end.

The knockouts were a tougher examination of the Gunners’ credentials. Bayer Leverkusen were seen off 3-1 on aggregate in the round of 16, but one-goal margins saw the north Londoners progress through the quarterfinals and semifinals against Sporting Lisbon and Atletico Madrid.

How did PSG fare in last season’s Champions League?

PSG beat Inter Milan 5-0 in last season’s final to lift the trophy for the first time in their history. Desire Doue scored twice in the win at the Allianz Arena in Munich to leave no doubt as to the French club’s worthiness as winners. After years of attempts with superstar acquisitions, such as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, it was perhaps fitting that then 19-year-old Frenchman Doue stole the headlines as the Parisians most coveted trophy was finally sealed.

How did Arsenal fare in last season’s Champions League?

To whet the appetite even more ahead of Saturday’s final, Arsenal’s Champions League run was ended at the semifinal stage last season by PSG.

Ousmane Dembele scored the only goal of the first leg at Emirates Stadium in the fourth minute. Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi put the home side out of sight in the second leg in Paris, with Bukayo Saka netting a consolation for the Gunners in their 3-1 aggregate defeat.

When did Arsenal last beat PSG?

The Gunners recorded a 2-0 home win in the league phase of last season’s Champions League. Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka scored the only goals of the game at Emirates Stadium, with both strikes coming in the first half. PSG dominated the stats, however, with a 65 percent share of possession and nine shots overall to Arsenal’s six.

How have PSG fared this season?

PSG stormed to a fifth consecutive Ligue 1 title this season, although Lens made sure the race at least lasted to the final two rounds.

It was against their nearest rivals that the Parisians secured the title with a game to spare following their 2-1 win at Lens. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ibrahim Mbaye scored the goals to make it mathematically impossible for them to be overtaken. A 2-1 defeat at Paris FC in the French capital’s derby finished the season, but PSG still held a six-point cushion at the top. The defeat by Paris FC was a slight annoyance in terms of the cross-city rivalry, given it was their closest geographical rivals that also ended their hopes of successive trebles by knocking PSG out of the French Cup in January.

How have Arsenal fared this season?

Arsenal were also made to wait until the penultimate round of matches to be crowned champions of England, but, after a 22-year wait to lift the Premier League trophy again, the Gunners did not mind how and when the moment came.

Mikel Arteta’s team were runaway leaders at one stage, only to be pegged back by Manchester City – who briefly claimed top spot in the final few weeks, only to blow their chances with draws at Everton and Bournemouth. Those allowed the Gunners to fire on all cylinders once again to reclaim pole position and with it the title – exacting revenge on City for their defeat in the League Cup final. Hopes of a treble were dashed when second-tier Southampton won the quarterfinal.

How many times have PSG won the Champions League?

Last season’s Champions League victory was PSG’s first in the competition’s history. They had reached the final once before, but were beaten 1-0 by Bayern Munich in 2019.

In beating Inter, they became only the second French side to lift the trophy, following Marseille’s 1-0 win against AC Milan in 1993.

How many times have Arsenal won the Champions League?

Arsenal have never won the Champions League and this is only their second appearance in a final. Their previous attempt was foiled by Barcelona in 2006 when the Catalan giants recorded a 2-1 win.

English teams have won Europe’s premier club crown 15 times, with Liverpool claiming six, and Manchester United three.

Head-to-head

This will be their eighth meeting, with both winning twice previously.

Their first encounter came in the old UEFA Cup Winners Cup, which eventually became the Europa League in a merger with the UEFA Cup.

Arsenal progressed 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-0 home win, with Kevin Campbell scoring, and a 1-1 draw in Paris, where Ian Wright scored for the Gunners and David Ginola netted for PSG.

PSG team news

Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele was substituted in PSG’s final game of the season with a calf problem.

The forward was one of the few players not rested ahead of the Champions League final.

Achraf Hakimi and Lucas Chevalier are both injury doubts, but Nuno Mendes is expected to shake off a knock.

PSG predicted starting lineup

Safonov; Zaire-Emery, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha, Ruiz; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia

Arsenal team news

Jurrien Timber is expected to be a continued absentee due to a groin injury that has kept him out for eight weeks, while fellow defender Ben White will definitely miss out through injury.

Noni Madueke’s hamstring issue is not expected to keep him out, but Bukayo Saka is set to be given the nod ahead of him in their battle for a place on the flank.

Arsenal predicted starting lineup

Raya; Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Lewis-Skelly, Rice; Saka, Odegaard, Trossard; Gyokeres