PSG/Arsenal – introducing the Gunners: finally Premier League champions | OneFootball

This Saturday, May 30, Paris Saint-Germain take on Arsenal at the Puskas Arena in Budapest (kick-off at 6pm, live on Canal+ and M6) in the final of the 2025-2026 Champions League. And as before every match, here is a presentation of the Parisians’ opponent.

Arsenal’s situation –

Arsenal are obviously an iconic football club, and we are not going to go into a full history lesson. The last major turning point was Arsène Wenger’s departure in 2018, after nearly 22 years at the club. A difficult page to turn. Former Paris coach Unai Emery tried. But he lost his job in November 2019 despite some fine performances along the way. Mikel Arteta, the Spanish midfielder who played for PSG (2001-2002), took over to revive the project.

It has not all been easy, but the Gunners’ progress is clear, especially in their ability to compete for the Premier League title. Even if the outcome had been cruel in recent years, especially in 2022-2023 when the trophy still slipped away despite many matchdays spent at the top. And finally, this season Arsenal managed to win the title. Now they have to follow that up with this Champions League final.

The 2025 summer transfer window –

Source: Transfermarkt. Departures: Arrivals:

The 2025/2026 winter transfer window –

Source: Transfermarkt. Departures: Arrivals:

The main statistics –

This season, Arsenal have the 2nd-best attack in the league with 71 goals scored (first, Manchester City, have 77, and bottom, Wolverhampton, have 27), and the best defense with 27 goals conceded (Manchester City are 2nd with 35 conceded, while bottom side Burnley have 75).

The top scorer for the Gunners is Viktor Gyökeres (a 27-year-old striker) and, with 14 goals, he is among the league’s 7th-highest scorers (Premier League top scorer is Erling Haaland with 27 goals). Martin Ödegaard (a 27-year-old midfielder) and Leandro Trossard (a 31-year-old winger) are the English club’s top assist providers with 6 assists, putting them among the Premier League’s joint 5th-best (Bruno Fernandes is first with 21 assists).

Arsenal’s last 5 matches –

Only the Gunners’ possession is listed, and Arsenal’s shots are given first (when the data is available).

02/05/2026 (Premier League) – Arsenal/Fulham: 3-0. In a 4-2-3-1. 54% possession. 17 shots, including 8 on target, to 9 shots (1 on target).

05/05/2026 (Champions League) – Arsenal/Atlético Madrid: 1-0. In a 4-2-3-1. 54% possession. 13 shots, including 2 on target, to 5 shots (2 on target).

10/05/2026 (Premier League) – West Ham/Arsenal: 0-1. In a 4-3-3. 66% possession. 13 shots, including 2 on target, to 11 shots (4 on target).

18/05/2026 (Premier League) – Arsenal/Burnley: 1-0. In a 4-3-3. 62% possession. 13 shots, including 2 on target, to 5 shots (0 on target).

24/05/2026 (Premier League) – Crystal Palace/Arsenal: 1-2. In a 4-2-3-1. 59% possession. 16 shots, including 6 on target, to 6 shots (3 on target).

The team according to the press in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3:

Gyökeres

Trossard – Odegaard – Saka

Lewis-Skelly – Rice

Calafiori – Gabriel – Saliba – Timber

Raya

or

Trossard – Havertz – Saka

Odegaard – Lewis-Skelly – Rice

Calafiori – Gabriel – Saliba – Mosquera

Raya

Arsenal’s style of play.

Arteta’s football is based on “control,” both with and without the ball. The idea is always to apply pressure immediately after losing possession and then take control by building patiently. Even if a match like this may bring a few adjustments, we expect to see that same approach against PSG. PSG will need to pay particular attention to one major Gunners strength: set pieces. At least there are a few defensive weaknesses to exploit, including build-up play that can sometimes be too risky.

Unless Arteta opts more for long balls. Arsenal have been less impressive over the season, but of course this is a team that must be respected and can cause huge problems for anyone. Last season’s semi-final was far from straightforward.

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