Mikel Arteta said Jurrien Timber is fit to start Saturday's Champions League final against Paris St‑Germain and confirmed that Noni Madueke is available for selection, settling two of the most immediate questions on Arsenal's team sheet on the eve of the match.
The spotlight on Madueke is why supporters are searching his name now: he came off with a hamstring complaint on the final day of the season at Selhurst Park and was forced off again last weekend against Crystal Palace, yet Arteta insisted the forward will not keep out of the final even if he almost certainly will not start.
Arteta framed both updates around Arsenal's objective in Budapest. Timber, who has not played since March after suffering a groin injury in the win over Everton, was pictured training with the squad this week and the manager said the defender is fit to take the field on Saturday. Arteta spoke plainly about the stakes: "No, the ambition is bigger, we have one [trophy] and we want the second one," and added, "They are defending the trophy and they are the champions and we are here to take that away from them," underlining that selection choices are being made with a title in sight.
The availability lines mask a selection problem. Ben White is ruled out with a knee ligament injury, which has forced Arsenal to use unconventional options at right back this season — Cristhian Mosquera, Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice have all deputised there at times. Timber's return clears one absence, but it does not erase the pressure created by White's long‑term injury and the stops Arsenal have had to take to cover that flank.
Those coverage decisions matter because Timber has been out for more than two months; his only recent match work is the training footage from Budapest. Madueke's presence gives Arteta extra attacking depth, but the manager's own assessment that Madueke almost certainly will not start signals a bench role unless circumstances force a change. With Paris St‑Germain aiming to become only the second club in the Champions League era to defend the trophy, every tweak to Arsenal's backline and bench will be scrutinised.
Arsenal have not reached a Champions League final since 2006, and that history — combined with PSG's recent success — turns the choice over the right‑back spot into more than a positional curiosity. If Arteta hands Timber the right side from the off it will be read as a vote of confidence in a player returning from a groin layoff; if Timber begins on the bench, the match will likely hinge on which of Mosquera, Zubimendi or Rice is trusted to plug the hole left by White.
The immediate fact is settled: Timber is available to play and Madueke is available to be used. What remains the single most consequential decision is which route Arteta will take to replace White — start Timber and accept a defender returning from a long layoff, or restructure the side around alternative deputies — a call that will decide Arsenal's shape when they take the field in Budapest on Saturday.
