Kai Havertz will lead Arsenal’s line in the Champions League final in Budapest after Mikel Arteta confirmed his starting XI, while Paris Saint-Germain will run out with Achraf Hakimi and Ousmane Dembélé in the front line at the Puskás Stadium.
That is why searches for UCL fixtures are spiking: fans want the confirmed lineups and kick-off details for the one match that settles a season — a single game that hands either Arsenal their first European Cup or hands PSG continental glory.
Arteta, who spent 24 hours settling into Budapest before his pre-match press conference and visited the Puskás Stadium, made selection and fitness clear. "Great. The preparation has been really, really good, really focused, really positive," he said, and he confirmed: "Jurrien Timber is fit," and "Noni is fit," with Ben White the only Arsenal player unavailable. He reminded listeners that Arsenal have already won the Premier League and that reaching this final is only the second time in the club’s history.
Paris Saint-Germain’s starters were also confirmed, with Hakimi and Dembélé picked to start. The French side’s attacking firepower is tangible — a highlight clip referenced by broadcasters recalls PSG’s five-goal display against Inter in a recent Champions League showcase — and it frames the threat Arsenal face on the night, especially after Arsenal met PSG in last season’s semi-final.
Arteta pushed back on any suggestion the pressure had eased after the title. "No, the ambition is bigger. We have won one and we want the second one," he said, folding the Premier League triumph into a larger objective rather than treating it as an endpoint. Former players and pundits have underscored the stakes: one voice called a UCL victory Arsenal’s biggest ever night, while another put Declan Rice in the conversation as one of the world’s best midfielders — reminders of the individual and collective judgment this match invites.
Arteta framed the final as a moment to seize: "It is the opportunity to own the moment because it's the second time in our history that we are here and we have the opportunity tomorrow to write a new chapter in the history of this football club." He also paid tribute to the coaching example he respects, saying of Luis Enrique: "He's always been a reference since he was a player, because he was a very special player."
The immediate question sharpened by these confirmed UCL fixtures is simple and decisive: will Havertz’s role up front tilt the balance toward Arsenal’s first European Cup, or will the pace and individual quality of Hakimi and Dembélé unlock the final for PSG? The answer will arrive when the match kicks off at the Puskás Stadium.
