Arsenal and PSG Arrive in Budapest for Champions League Final

Budapest has waited all season for this. Now Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain have arrived, travelling parties confirmed, injuries reassessed, and every decision from here carrying the weight of a European crown.

For Arsenal, this is the second act to a dream week. Premier League champions days ago, Champions League finalists now. Mikel Arteta’s squad flew out to Hungary on Thursday, and one name on the passenger list immediately changed the mood around the holders’ camp.

Jurrien Timber is back on board.

The full-back, sidelined since March with a groin injury, was photographed stepping onto the plane, a quiet but significant boost for a side that has already gone the distance domestically. Timber trained this week and has forced his way into contention for the final, even if only from the bench. After months of rehabilitation, simply being part of the group again feels like a statement.

Arsenal's Squad

Arsenal arrive with depth and momentum. David Raya, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Tommy Setford make up the goalkeeping unit. At the back, Arteta has options everywhere: Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie, William Saliba, Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel Magalhaes, Timber and Marli Salmon form a defensive pool capable of playing in multiple shapes.

Midfield, as it has been all season, looks like Arsenal’s heartbeat. Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Martin Zubimendi headline a group that also includes Eberechi Eze, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Mikel Merino and Christian Norgaard. Control, creativity, running power – Arteta has all of it at his disposal.

Up front, the champions are stacked. Gabriel Jesus, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Max Dowman give Arsenal a variety of threats: penalty-box instincts, wide isolation specialists, false nine movement and late arrivals into the area. It is an attacking unit built for a final, and built to hurt you in different ways.

PSG’s Injury Boosts

Across the city, Luis Enrique’s PSG have had their own welcome news.

Two key names have climbed back into the frame at just the right time. Ousmane Dembele and Achraf Hakimi, both doubts heading into the week, are on the plane and in the travelling squad.

Dembele picked up an injury in the final Ligue 1 game of the season against Paris FC and has been absent from training since. Hakimi, the full-back who struck against Arsenal in last year’s semi-final, has not featured since the first leg of this season’s semi-final against Bayern Munich. Their inclusion here is no formality; it is a clear indication that PSG believe both could yet influence the biggest night of their season.

Luis Enrique’s goalkeeping choices are Lucas Chevalier, Matvey Safonov and Renato Marin. In front of them, Hakimi joins Lucas Beraldo, Marquinhos, Illia Zabarnyi, Lucas Hernandez, Nuno Mendes and Willian Pacho in a defensive unit that mixes experience, pace and aggression.

The midfield offers balance and youth. Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Senny Mayulu, Dro Fernandez, Warren Zaire-Emery and Joao Neves give PSG a blend of composure on the ball and legs to match Arsenal’s intensity.

Two champions’ squads. One city. One night.

Arsenal arrive as Premier League winners and Champions League holders, chasing the kind of season that gets remembered for decades. PSG come hunting for the prize that has defined their project for years, now with Dembele and Hakimi back in the frame.

The stage is set in Budapest. The squads are in. The next decision is not about who travels, but who dares.