Image source: Alamy Stock Photo
2025/26 UEFA Champions League
Final
Paris Saint-Germain v Arsenal
Puskas Arena
Budapest, Hungary
Saturday, 30 May 2026
Kick-off is at 18h00
Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal are set to meet for the sixth time in the UEFA Champions League when they lock horns in the final at the Puskas Arena on Saturday, May 30.
The two teams squared off three times in Europe's elite club competition last season, with the Gunners running out 2-0 victors in the league phase thanks to first-half goals from Kai Havertz (20') and Bukayo Saka (35').
But Les Rouge-et-Bleu got their revenge in the semi-finals, where Ousmane Dembele's fourth-minute goal secured a 1-0 win in the first leg before Fabian Ruiz (27') and Achraf Hakimi (72') sealed a 2-1 triumph in the second leg, although Saka (76') managed to pull one back.
There were no winners in their first two encounters during the group stages back in 2016-17. Alexis Sanchez (78') cancelled out Edinson Cavani's first-minute opener in a 1-1 draw at Parc des Princes on 13 September 2016.
Image source: Alamy Stock Photo
Cavani (18') opened the scoring again at the Emirates Stadium on 23 November 2016, only for Olivier Giroud (45+1) to restore parity from the penalty spot. An own-goal from Marco Verratti on the hour mark put the hosts ahead, but Alex Iwobi (77') then diverted Lucas Moura's header past his own goalkeeper as it finished 2-2.
Mikel Arteta's side have the best defensive record in the Champions League this term, conceding just six goals in 14 games and keeping nine clean sheets in the process.
Les Parisiens, on the other hand, have scored the most goals (44) and only failed to find the back of the net once, in a 0-0 draw with Athletic Bilbao in the league phase.
Image source: Getty Images
PSG head coach Luis Enrique sees plenty of similarities with the North London giants, in that they're both possession-based teams and are dangerous on set-pieces.
"I don't think the two teams are opposites. Arsenal are a team that is built in the image and likeness of Mikel Arteta. He clearly started with Pep Guardiola's ideology, built on possession-based football. They're incredibly competitive, showing Mikel's personality," Enrique told the official UEFA website.
"They're the best defensive team in Europe, and they have been for a few years. It's an explosive combination. They don't depend on one player. They score a lot of goals from set-pieces and have that combination of being a team that doesn't concede goals and scores a lot of goals.
"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.
"Our players have more individual profiles, but they also play as a team. I think we're talking about two great teams - along with Bayern Munchen, the three best teams in Europe. All this means we'll have to adapt to play and defend in a different way compared to what we usually do if we want to get the better of them."
Head-to-Head:
Matches - 5
PSG wins - 2
Arsenal wins - 1
Draws - 2
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