UEFA: The Argentines set to play in the European finals | OneFootball

Europa, Conference and Champions League, all with Argentines

All three UEFA continental club finals will feature Argentines, although only two of them are players; the other is a member of the coaching staff. In total, there are 6 compatriots who will play a leading role in football on the old continent. Here’s a look at the 3 finals.

Champions League: An Argentine at Arsenal

The Champions League final will be played on Saturday, May 30 at 1 pm Argentina time at the Puskas Arena in Budapest (Hungary) between PSG and Arsenal. This match will bring the European season to a close and pave the way for the World Cup.

The Champions League will have only one Argentine present, and it’s not a player. It is Mikel Arteta’s assistant coach, “Gringo” Gabriel Heinze, who will be the only Argentine in the Champions League final, as well as one of those responsible for Arsenal’s current form.

Despite having played for Manchester United and Real Madrid, he was never able to play in a Champions League final. This will be the first of his career, as part of Arsenal’s coaching staff (he is Mikel Arteta’s right-hand man), with the team chasing its first Champions League title.

Europa League: Aston Villa’s Emilianos

The Europa League final will be the first of the trilogy of European finals. It will be played on May 20 at 4 pm Argentina time at Besiktas’ home ground, the Tüpraş Stadyumu in Istanbul (Turkey), and the contenders will be England’s Aston Villa and Germany’s Freiburg.

This final will feature two Argentine players, both at Aston Villa, both key figures, both with experience in the Argentina national team, and both named Emiliano—lots of coincidences that give fans hope.

One of them will be Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez. The Argentina national team goalkeeper will be tasked with protecting Aston Villa’s goal, meaning he will play in his first European final. Alongside him will be another Emiliano, the team’s playmaker, who wears the No. 10 shirt and starred in the semifinal: Emiliano Buendía.

Conference League: The duel of Argentine goalkeepers

The Conference League final will be played on May 27 at 4 pm Argentina time at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig (Germany), and will be contested by Spain’s Rayo Vallecano and England’s Crystal Palace. It will be the only one of the 3 finals to feature Argentines on both teams.

This match will have a particular duel between Argentine goalkeepers. For Crystal Palace, there will be Walter Benítez (formerly of Quilmes), the English team’s second-choice goalkeeper, while for Rayo Vallecano there will be Augusto Batalla, formerly of River and San Lorenzo. Completing the list of Argentine players is Oscar Trejo, a midfielder with a past at Boca who holds the record as the foreign player with the most appearances for the Spanish club.

After this review, we can see that at least one Argentine will be champion, in the case of the Conference League, since it is the only final where there will be at least one compatriot on each team. We will see how many manage to lift one of the 3 trophies this month of May.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.