Gary Neville issues new Champions League final prediction after Arsenal title win | OneFootball

Former Manchester United defender says Gunners preparation has been “absolutely perfect”

Gary Neville believes Arsenal have had an "absolutely perfect" preparation for the Champions League final, which leaves them in the best condition possible for their date with destiny.

The Gunners clinched the Premier League crown six days ago, which allowed Mikel Arteta to make nine changes for the end-of-season dead rubber at Crystal Palace.

The likes of star men David Raya, Declan Rice and William Saliba were given the game off, their only job at Selhurst Park was to lift the Premier League trophy

And Neville accepts Sunday's European showpiece in Budapest will be "tough", but Arteta and his squad have enjoyed a dream build-up so far.

"Do you know what was so good for Arsenal? Them winning the title four or five days early, to allow them that extra 12, 13, days preparation for this game against Paris Saint-Germain," he said on the Gary Neville podcast.

Mikel Arteta with his Arsenal squad

Getty

Told that Arteta made nine changes against Palace, Neville replied: "Yeah, so absolutely perfect

"Let them celebrate [last] Tuesday night, let them have a couple of days off, which is obviously what happened, and then let them have a long, long, long, long, long, long build-up into this [game].

"I'm sure they won't start looking at [tactics] until Monday morning, but what they'll have is a group of players who've had five or six days rest, and that's really important.

"It gives them a free week now, it gives them four or five days of recovery for all the players that are going to start next Saturday, and it gives them now five or six days of real good quality build-up."

But Neville believes Arsenal are facing the best team in the world, in PSG, led by the world's greatest manager, in Luis Enrique.

[PSG] have got that horribleness about them, that they do anything to win ... and Enrique is probably the greatest manager in the world right now

Mikel Arteta

He continued: "It's going to be tough for them, I'll be honest with you, because I think that PSG are a different level. They've got what I call one of those obsessive - and I say this as a compliment - maniac-type managers that are just winners, serial winners.

"They've got that horribleness about them inside them, that they do anything to win, and they go and win. And Luis Enrique is one of the greatest, probably the greatest manager in the world right now.

"What Enrique is doing at PSG is winning, getting to back-to-back European final, this is his moment. So Arsenal are going to be right up against it, because if you can win back-to-back Champions Leagues, you put yourself into a different sort of planet, and that's what he's up for. He wants that, he wants to beat all the records.

"So, it's going to be very difficult for Arsenal, because they're up against the team that are special and know how to do it, but they're in there and they know how to defend. They've got some match winners themselves.

"It's gonna be physically a really great game, because both teams are physically fantastic. I'm really looking forward to it .. I'm really fascinated by it, but I think PSG, if are the best team in Europe right now. Arsenal are going in there as underdogs, they're going to have to scrap and fight and get over the line somehow, if they're going to win it.