PSG, ARSENAL CONFIRM STARTING LINE-UPS FOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
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By: Fasasi Hammad
Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal have confirmed their starting line-ups for the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League final in Budapest, with both managers naming strong sides for Europe’s biggest club football showdown.
PSG head coach Luis Enrique received a major boost ahead of the final, with key players Achraf Hakimi and Ousmane Dembélé declared fit after recent injury concerns. Both players were included in the starting XI, with Hakimi operating on the right flank alongside Désiré Doué, while Dembélé leads an attack that also features Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
In midfield, Vitinha, João Neves and Fabián Ruiz are expected to dictate the tempo against an Arsenal side that has impressed throughout the competition.
For Arsenal, manager Mikel Arteta made one of his biggest selection decisions in attack by opting for Kai Havertz ahead of Viktor Gyökeres. Havertz, who won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, will spearhead the Gunners’ frontline.
Young midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly has been handed the biggest start of his career, lining up alongside Declan Rice and captain Martin Ødegaard in midfield.
Bukayo Saka returns to the starting line-up after overcoming a fitness concern, while Noni Madueke settles for a place on the bench despite being available for selection.
Arteta had hoped Jurriën Timber would be fit enough to start after a lengthy injury layoff, but the Dutch defender was named among the substitutes. Consequently, Cristhian Mosquera continues at right-back, where he faces the daunting challenge of containing PSG star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and attacking full-back Nuno Mendes.
PSG Starting XI
Safonov; Hakimi, Pacho, Marquinhos, Mendes; Fabián Ruiz; Vitinha, João Neves; Désiré Doué, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembélé.
Substitutes: Chevalier, Marin, Beraldo, Zabarnyi, Ramos, Lee, Hernández, Mayulu, Dro, Barcola, Zaïre-Emery, Mbaye.
Arsenal Starting XI
Raya; Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapié; Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Ødegaard; Saka, Trossard, Havertz.
Substitutes: Arrizabalaga, Timber, Calafiori, Zubimendi, Merino, Nørgaard, Eze, Madueke, Dowman, Martinelli, Gyökeres, Jesus.
The final is expected to feature several fascinating individual battles, including Saka against Mendes, Rice against Vitinha, and Dembélé against Arsenal centre-back William Saliba.
PSG are chasing back-to-back Champions League titles, while Arsenal are hoping to lift Europe’s most coveted club trophy for the first time in their history.
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