Arteta Trusts Timber for Champions League Final Against PSG

Mikel Arteta will put his faith in Jurrien Timber on the biggest stage of all, confirming the Dutch defender is fit to start Saturday’s Champions League final against Paris St‑Germain.

Timber, a natural right-back who can also tuck inside, has not played for Arsenal since suffering a groin injury in the win over Everton in March. For weeks, that flank has looked like the one crack in an otherwise relentless champion’s armour.

It was threatening to become a full-blown problem. Ben White, Arteta’s other specialist option on the right, has been ruled out with a knee ligament injury, forcing the manager into a series of tactical patches. Spain centre-back Cristhian Mosquera has filled in. So have midfield anchors Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice, both asked to moonlight in a role that doesn’t quite belong to them.

Now the bandage comes off. Timber has been back in full training in Budapest, pictured working with the group as Arsenal fine-tune their plans for Luis Enrique’s reigning European champions. If there were any doubts about his readiness, Arteta brushed them aside.

The boost doesn’t end there. Noni Madueke, who limped off with a hamstring issue in the win over Crystal Palace last weekend, is also available. For a manager who has spent the run‑in juggling absences in key areas, it is close to a best‑case scenario on the eve of the final.

Champions already, but not satisfied

Arsenal arrive in Budapest as newly crowned Premier League champions, their first league title in 22 years. That alone could have dulled the edge, invited talk of “pressure off” and a free hit against Europe’s dominant force.

Arteta rejected that idea outright.

“No, the ambition is bigger, we have one [trophy] and we want the second one,” the Spaniard said, underlining that the domestic triumph is not a destination, but a launchpad. The message inside the camp has been consistent: this is not the finish line.

“There has to be a platform to reach bigger destinations and to aim for more,” he insisted. Arsenal’s performances in Europe over the past seasons, and particularly this campaign, have convinced him this group can live at that level. He wants his players walking into the Puskás Aréna with that belief burning.

“I want the players to be so confident that we are going to go and do it.”

PSG’s throne in Arsenal’s sights

Across from them stand the favourites. PSG beat Arsenal in last year’s semi‑finals and return as defending champions, chasing a place in history as only the second team to win back‑to‑back titles in the Champions League era.

They carry the aura of a side that knows how to navigate these nights. Arsenal carry the scar of last year’s exit.

That edge matters. So does the way Arteta is framing the challenge.

“They are defending the trophy and they are the champions and we are here to take that away from them,” he said, drawing a clear line between the holders and the hunters.

For Arsenal, the narrative is simple and ruthless: one title banked, another in their sights, and a once‑injured right-back stepping back into the firing line with Europe’s biggest prize on the line.