Champions League Final Preview

The biggest club soccer competition comes to a head on Saturday, May 30th. Arsenal, the champions of England, will head to Budapest to face defending champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League Final. Arsenal go into the match as heavy underdogs, but just coming off their first league title in 22 years, this momentum can give them the edge they need to pull off an upset. PSG, on the other hand, have been serial winners in recent history, having just won their league title for the fifth straight year and, of course, winning the Champions League Final just a season ago. Arsenal will need a perfect game to knock off the French giants.

Arsenal can win this game in one way, and it will be through their defense. They allowed only 27 goals this past season, accumulated zero red cards, and gave away zero penalties. This is a testament to their talent at the back and the discipline manager Mikel Arteta has brought to the team. It starts with goalkeeper David Raya, who was this year’s Golden Glove winner after earning 17 clean sheets in 35 matches. This is the route Arsenal needs to take to win the match. Playing defensively, slowing the game down, and scoring via set pieces. The Gunners set a Premier League record by scoring 17 goals from corners. If Arsenal sticks to its guns and continues to do what got them there, they can take down PSG and win their first UCL title.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/409a14_5d6008dd97ba460597d997eaaa5143b3/720p/mp4/file.mp4

Arsenal & PSG Highlights

PSG can defend its title by simply being themselves. PSG has gotten so successful over the past couple of years because of its versatility. They play a 4-3-3 formation, but the way manager Luis Enrique wants them to play is to constantly press. Usually, when this happens, it can be easy to move players out of position and expose the press and break it. However, PSG’s lineup has become so comfortable playing in different positions that they can seamlessly move and flow into different positions on the pitch and continue to play comfortably. The front three—Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Desire Doué—are very comfortable playing any of the front three spots, so when one presses, the other can take up the other’s position, and they can seamlessly press in a cycle without feeling the need to retreat to their original position. This game plan has netted the Parisians 44 goals this season in the Champions League. If PSG were to score two goals in this final, they would break the record for most goals in a season by one team.

If Arsenal wins this match, it will be the beginning of a new era, as the Gunners have been constantly doing everything right except for the final product—the trophy. Finishing the season with the two biggest trophies they can obtain can give Arsenal the confidence and momentum to dominate the Premier League and be a constant threat to the Champions League, bringing the London side back to their former glory. As for PSG, this solidifies their place as the best in the world by a clear margin.

Being able to go back-to-back in the Champions League is a feat not done since the Cristiano Ronaldo-led Real Madrid team in 2016-2017. The final kicks off at 12 PM EST on CBS from Budapest, Hungary.

AI's Verse of the Day:

"To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away."

Matthew 25:29 (NLT)