Arsenal take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League looking to join Europe’s top table
Arsenal defender Ben White is among the list of high-profile absentees from the Champions League final. However, there is positive injury news for the Gunners and Paris Saint-Germain as Jurrien Timber has been passed as fit to start.
The newly-crowned Premier League champions are looking to make a memorable season into a historic one after ending their 20-year plight away from the summit of English football.
Mikel Arteta’s side are 90 minutes away from breaking their duck on the continent and avenging their 2006 heartache against Barcelona in Paris.
Confidence is brimming for the North London club as they lock horns with last season’s Champions League winners in Budapest.
Like PSG last May, Arsenal are looking to become the latest team to add the accolade to their trophy collection. Timber’s ability to start, should Arteta wish to do so, marks a huge boost for the Spaniard and his selection options after being sidelined since March.
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He said: “He’s fit, yeah.”
Mikel Merino returned to first-team training after being crowned Premier League champions. Christian Norgaard will be hoping to shrug off his knock but White’s knee injury has ended his season.
For the reigning champions, their star trio Ousmane Dembele, Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes have all shrugged off knocks to be in contention for selection in Luis Enrique’s starting 11.
While the Ballon d’Or winner dismissed concerns over the calf injury which forced him off in their final Ligue 1 match against Paris FC, the full-back partnership of Hakimi and Mendes has been a cause of particular concern.
The Moroccan hasn’t featured since the Parisiens’ dramatic first-leg win over Bayern Munich while the Portuguese suffered a knock in the triumph but aggravated the issue in the second-leg. But both were passed fit by Enrique, who finds himself looking to add another elite European championship to his glittering collection as he masterminded the French giants to their first crown 12 months ago.
The Spanish head coach said: “Haki and Nuno, they are OK, they are able to play tomorrow.”
Dembele dismissed concerns over his capability to play on Saturday. He told reporters: “No, no, I wasn’t scared about missing the final as I stopped when I felt the niggle and I’ve had 10 or 15 days to get myself in shape before the final.
“The season was complicated for everyone at PSG, we didn’t have a lot of down time but the coach and the staff kept a hand over scheduling tweaks so we could make the Champions League final, I’m 100 percent ready and raring to go.
“We’re hoping things go well tomorrow.”
But Lucas Chevalier and Quentin Ndjantou will be forced to watch on from the stands at the Puskas Arena through injury.
