After ending their 22-year wait to secure the Premier League title, Arsenal have had to halt their celebrations. Their season is not done yet. In fact, the most exciting part may be yet to come.
On Saturday, Mikel Arteta’s men look to become the first Arsenal team to ever win the Champions League, as they take on holders Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest’s Puskas Arena.
It’s the best England have to offer against the best from France. The final is truly reflective of the best teams in Europe this season, with these two teams ripping it up across the continent all campaign.
However, they are two completely different sides. It’s a battle of ideologies between Arteta and Luis Enrique, with the Gunners being known for their defensive prowess, compared to Les Parisiens’ fierce attacking style.
The likes of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes will unenviably be tasked with keeping the likes of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele, and Desire Doue quiet. An unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.
Both teams are stacked with talent, not just in their stronger areas of the pitch, but across the whole of it. And the stats boffins at Sofascore have run the numbers to see which of those players make a combined XI from the finalists.
Sofascore has picked it’s PSG and Arsenal combined XI ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final
Goalkeeper: David Raya
Is David Raya the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment? With the drop-off in form of Alisson, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Thibaut Courtois this season, it’s fair to say Raya has now climbed to the top of the pile.
After a 1-0 win over Sporting CP in April, team-mate Kai Havertz said: ‘I think [he is] still underestimated in the world of football but for me, the last two seasons, the best keeper in the world. He’s outstanding, he’s saved us so many times and we’re very glad to have him.’
Raya certainly saved them during that quarter-final tie, but that was just one instance of the Spaniard making game-changing saves to give the Gunners victory. His incredible stop from Mateus Fernandes in the club’s recent 1-0 win over West Ham is another example.
The goalkeeper has kept a quite ridiculous 28 clean sheets in 50 games in all competitions this season, with nine of those coming in his 13 Champions League games. The obvious choice, and his Sofascore rating of 7.34 reflects that.
Right-back: Achraf Hakimi
The right-back position is arguably one of the most hotly contested positions in this combined XI. It’s basically Achraf Hakimi against the umpteen defenders Arteta has deployed there for Arsenal.
It is still not known whether Jurrien Timber will return to fitness in time for the showdown in Hungary, but either way, he doesn’t get into this team. Hakimi takes the position with an average rating of 6.74, the lowest in this team.
Hakimi has been the standout right-back in European football across the last two seasons. A brilliant defender, he is also handy in attack, providing assists regularly and scoring every so often (especially last campaign). The Moroccan has been battling a hamstring issue, but is expected to be fit for the final.
Centre-back: Gabriel Magalhaes
Given that Arsenal have only leaked six goals in 14 Champions League matches this season, which is an average of 0.43 per game, it’s no surprise that they have a centre-back in this side.
William Saliba may be the standout Gunners centre-back to most, but the Brazilian brick wall beside him, Gabriel Magalhaes, is severely underrated. He does the hard work at the back, wrestling and jostling with attackers, and usually comes out on top.
Gabriel has only conceded two goals while being on the pitch in the 11 Champions League games he has played in. At the other end, we all know the danger he possesses from set-pieces – the man loves a headed goal. His rating of 7.25 is the highest among the backline.
Gabriel makes the side over partner William Saliba after an impressive campaign at the back
Centre-back: Marquinhos
I’m guessing many of you expected Saliba to line up next to Gabriel, to form the pairing that has become one of the greatest partnerships in Premier League history. Or maybe you thought that Willian Pacho would get the nod.
But no, it’s veteran of the game, Marquinhos, with a rating of 7.12. The Brazilian may not be a spring chicken anymore at 32 years old, but he has shown he still has what it takes in the big games, with his magnificent block from Virgil van Dijk in PSG’s quarter-final second leg with Liverpool evidence of that.
Enrique has been careful with his skipper this season, managing his minutes domestically to ensure he was ripe and ready for the big battles in the Champions League. He has played nearly 200 more minutes in Europe this season than in Ligue 1.
The man-management from the Spaniard has paid off, with Marquinhos a rock at the back alongside Pacho, especially in the knockout stages, as he picked up three consecutive clean sheets in games against Chelsea and Liverpool.
Left-back: Nuno Mendes
Despite Arsenal’s defensive prowess, it’s PSG that take most of the positions in the backline. Nuno Mendes is the third defender from Enrique’s team to form part of the back four.
It’s hard to argue with Sofascore, as once again Nuno Mendes has been one of the best in his position this season. The Portuguese left-back has started all 16 of PSG’s Champions League games, stating his importance to the side, and has kept the likes of Mohamed Salah quiet.
Mendes is nifty going forward, too. He has 13 goal contributions this season in all competitions, six of which are goals. A threat at both ends for Arsenal to keep an eye on.
Centre-midfielder: Vitinha
There was a time when Vitinha was deemed a Premier League flop after underwhelming during a 12-month loan spell at Wolves. But now, he is seen as one of the world’s best midfielders, a key member of Luis Enrique’s dynasty in Paris.
The Portuguese midfielder has saved his best football for the Champions League this season – like many of the PSG team – making the holders tick in the middle of the park and adding some valuable goals, with six in the competition.
Vitinha has the second-highest average rating in this entire team, and the best in the midfield pack, with an impressive 7.62.
Luis Enrique has turned Vitinha into one of the best midfielders in world football
Centre-midfielder: Joao Neves
A pattern is emerging here, I feel. PSG are starting to dominate this combined XI, and Joao Neves is the next star from the French champions to make the side.
The pocket rocket in midfield epitomises the intensity of Enrique’s philosophy, hunting down the ball like a leader of a wolf pack. The Portuguese maestro leads the press that has suffocated so many Premier League teams in Europe over the past two seasons.
Neves, too, adds some valuable goals, with his biggest coming against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the semi-final – a lovely little header. A mixture of aggression and finesse is why he makes this side.
Centre-midfielder: Declan Rice
You could never leave Declan Rice out of this team. Many believe he is the best midfielder in the world, or at least one of them, and who would argue with that after the season he has had.
Rice is both a leader and an extremely talented footballer. His mental strength is a key reason Arsenal won the Premier League this season, as is his endless pit of energy and technical ability.
The 27-year-old is the best there is as a box-to-box midfielder. He tracks back endlessly, recovering possession, while at the other end, he has bagged 12 goals and assists in all competitions this campaign.
Declan Rice player a key role in guiding Arsenal to their first Premier League title in 22 years
Right-winger: Desire Doue
There is just something about the Champions League knockout stages that lights a fire under Desire Doue. In back-to-back seasons, the 20-year-old winger has sprung into life in the latter stages of the season.
Seven of his nine goal contributions in the competition have come since the group phase, including a brilliant strike against Liverpool in the first leg of the quarter-final, and two assists in the nine-goal thriller with Bayern Munich in the last four.
Doue produced a performance of the ages in last year’s final against Inter Milan. The final will be remembered as the ‘Doue final’, as he netted two superb strikes in Munich. The Frenchman will be keen to replicate that display in Budapest this year.
Left-winger: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
If you enjoy the beautiful game, you’ll love watching Kvaratskhelia. The Georgian has arguably been the most exhilarating player to watch in world football this season. A maestro, a genius, ‘Georgian George Best’.
The winger has the world at his feet, and shouts of him winning the Ballon d’Or are getting louder and louder after a special Champions League campaign. Kvaratskhelia has netted 10 goals in the competition this term, including braces against Bayern and Chelsea, as well as a beauty against Liverpool.
Kvaratskhelia’s goals are not just tap-ins. The majority come from him twisting defenders into a pretzel before bending a beauty into the corner. The man has magic in his boots.
So, it’s no surprise that the Georgian has the highest rating in this team with 7.74.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (pictured scoring against Bayern Munich in the semi-final) has scored 10 Champions League goals this season, including a series of beautiful strikes
Centre forward: Ousmane Dembele
While Kvaratskhelia may be the favourite for the next Ballon d’Or, the current holder is his team-mate Ousmane Dembele, and for good reason. He may not have hit the goalscoring heights of last season, but the Frenchman has come into his own again in the knockout stages.
His rating of 7.23 means he completely freezes Arsenal’s attackers out of the front three, finishing the formation of perhaps the most menacing attacking forces in football.
Dembele has been crucial in PSG’s route to the final, scoring three goals across the semi-final and a brace in the second leg of the quarter-final at Anfield. His inclusion finishes off a side full of eight PSG players, and only three Arsenal stars.
