Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain will meet in the 2026 UEFA Champions League final in Budapest in a repeat of last season’s semifinal, a clash that the Parisians would ultimately win en route to claiming European football’s biggest prize for the first time. Now, the Gunners will hunt for revenge as they too look for their maiden crown, but if the recent semis are anything to go by, Mikel Arteta’s men will certainly have their work cut out.
The current Premier League leaders edged their way past Atletico Madrid in their respective semifinal. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg in the Spanish capital, Bukayo Saka’s close-range goal on the stroke of half-time was enough to secure a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture at the Emirates and seal Arsenal’s first final appearance in 20 years.
PSG, meanwhile, look to be hitting form at the perfect time once again, just as they did as they claimed the trophy 12 months ago. They beat Bayern Munich in a riveting semifinal first leg in the Parc des Princes, winning 5-4 in one of the greatest games of football the world has ever seen. The second leg, however, was a stark contrast with manager Luis Enrique finding a way to neutralise the fearsome Bavarian attack, securing a 1-1 draw to progress 6-5 on aggregate.
Now, all eyes are on May 31st and Budapest, as the two teams do battle in a bid to claim the biggest prize in the game. One team is looking for its first-ever title; the other is looking to defend its crown and continue on its path to become European football’s newest dynasty. And online betting sites have a clear favourite in mind.
One of the top Canadian online casino and betting sites currently makes the defending champions Paris Saint-Germain the narrow but clear 4/6 favourites to retain the famous big-eared trophy. Arsenal, meanwhile, are a 13/10 outsider, and if they are to secure a maiden Champions League crown, they will have to do so as underdogs.
So, with the final fast approaching, which players would start in a combined eleven comprising the two finalists? Here are our picks.
Perhaps Arsenal’s only guaranteed spot in this entire team. Is David Raya the best goalkeeper in the world on current form? He’s certainly the best the Premier League has to offer, and he gets in this team 100 times out of 100 over PSG counterpart Matvéi Safónov.
The Russian shot stopper was supposed to continue in his role as back-up in the French capital this season, but following the poor form of summer signing Lucas Chevalier — signed to replace the outgoing Gianluigi Donnarumma – he has been handed a starting berth. Still, he doesn’t come close to ousting Raya in our combined eleven.
Achraf Hakimi is, perhaps, the finest right back in the world when fully fit. He starts ahead of both Ben White and Jurrien Timber in our combined eleven; however, there are huge concerns about his fitness and whether he will be ready to return in time to start the final in Budapest on May 31st. A hamstring strain kept him out of the semi-final second leg against Bayern, and it remains to be seen whether he actually takes the field against the Gunners.
Gabriel Magalhães has been the beating heart of Arsenal’s water-tight defence this season. While his Brazilian compatriot and PSG captain, Marquinhos, is no doubt a sensational defender in his own right, we give the Gunner the nod.
Where would Gabriel be without his loyal partner William Saliba at the heart of that Gunners backline? The duo comes as a pair, and a peculiar pair at that. They have started together in all but two of Arsenal’s Premier League games in 2026, as well as in all six of the club’s Champions League knockout ties. They start together in our combined eleven as well, with PSG’s Willian Pacho missing out.
Potential matchwinners from left back are rare, and PSG has one of them in the form of Nuno Mendes. Both Piero Hincapié and Riccardo Calafiori are brilliant left-backs in their own right for the Gunners, but Mendes is the one who can turn a game on its head with his blistering pace down the left-hand side.
Portuguese midfielder Vitinha is the conductor around whom the entire PSG attack is built. He orchestrates from deep in midfield, and he gets the nod in our team ahead of Martin Zubimendi.
Alongside Vitinha, Declan Rice provides the lung-busting energy. He will cover every blade of grass in order for the man alongside him to thrive. He will have to do that in the final and find a way to nullify Vitinha, but in this combined eleven, the two would complement each other immaculately.
Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard has had to endure an injury-hit campaign, but there are very few attacking midfielders in world football capable of unlocking a defence quite like the Norwegian. He perhaps somewhat controversially gets the nod at the tip of the midfield ahead of PSG’s Fabian Ruiz.
Arsenal’s talisman. Bukayo Saka simply has to be in this team, despite his less-than-spectacular goals and assists output in 2025/26. The Gunners look like a completely different team when he is on the right wing, and we give him the benefit of the doubt against teenage sensation Desire Doue, who undeniably looked sensational in the recent semifinal against Bayern Munich.
Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been absolutely unplayable in the Champions League this season, netting ten goals and providing six assists in just 12 starts. He was in blistering form against Bayern, netting twice in the first leg and setting up Ousmane Dembele in the second. He starts in just about any team on the planet, including this one.
Viktor Gyokeres put in a tireless effort in Arsenal’s semifinal triumph against Atletico Madrid, taking on both Atleti defenders almost single-handedly as he looked to power his team to the final. But despite that, it’s simply not possible to ignore the reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele. While the Frenchman’s numbers haven’t quite reached the blistering heights set last season, 19 goals and ten assists in reduced starts due to an injury-hit campaign is nothing to be scoffed at. He’s our starting striker.
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