Merson claims £38m Arsenal star ‘has to play’ in Champions League final; Arteta told to ‘take a chance’ | OneFootball

Paul Merson has explained why he thinks Arsenal star Jurrien Timber “has to play” against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.

The Gunners are coming off winning the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years, and they could still do the double this season as they face PSG in the Champions League final this weekend.

Mikel Arteta‘s side got over the line in the Premier League without Timber, who has been out of action with a groin injury since March.

The Dutchman, who joined Arsenal for around £38m, has been a huge miss over the past couple of months and it remains to be seen whether he will be fit for this weekend’s final.

Despite this, Merson has urged Arsenal to “take a chance” with Timber this weekend.

“I think Jurrien Timber has to play,” Arsenal legend Merson said on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast.

“There’s talk that he will be fit.

“He’s got to play, even if he’s half-fit I would take a chance on him because he has to play in that game.”

Merson was also asked whether he thinks Arsenal can beat PSG, to which he insisted that they can defeat the Champions League holders.

“Yeah I do, I do,” Merson responded.

“Having that rest after winning the title was important, they didn’t have any of that nervous energy going into the final day.

“I think they’ve got a chance, especially with the way they do set-plays. Anytime they get a set-piece will be like a penalty because PSG are a small team, they’re a good team but they’re a small team.

“I think PSG will struggle with that. You’re talking about one of the best forward lines against one of the best defences.”

Ruud Gullit makes Champions League final prediction with PSG “still the favourites”

Fellow pundit Ruud Gullit has also issued a verdict on the Champions League final.

“No, no, no, no,” Gullit told MrRaffle.com when asked whether it is an advantage for Arsenal that they are facing PSG in a one-off game after last season’s semi-final loss.

“I think Paris Saint-Germain are still the favourites. The way they played against Bayern was outstanding tactically. And physically, they are top of the bill at the moment.

“They don’t give the opposition any easy build up — they press you immediately. And all their great players are willing to work hard. That’s a fantastic combination.”

On Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, he added: “He is a fantastic player. Like I’ve said in previous interviews — if you watch Kvaratskhelia when he played at Napoli, he would do something brilliant and then just walk around.

“Now he’s running back like crazy, working really hard. That makes him a complete footballer. I like him very much.”

When asked for a result prediction, he responded: “2-0 Paris Saint-Germain.”