Arsenal and Paris St-Germain are set to clash in the Champions League final.
The showpiece event at Budapest’s Puskas Arena will see Arsenal play their 63rd game of the campaign. For Paris St-Germain, it will be their 56th, not including the seven at last summer’s Club World Cup.
PSG’s Approach to the Final
Paris St-Germain’s stars may enter the contest fresher. Luis Enrique has rested many of his key players for Ligue 1 games this season. He was afforded this luxury by weaker domestic opposition and incredible squad depth, built with the financial backing of the club’s Qatari owners.
PSG have played 16 Champions League games to reach the final. Arsenal have played 14.
Mikel Arteta’s starting 11 amassed almost 7,000 extra minutes of playing time in league games this season compared to PSG’s (6,726 to be precise).
Key Players’ Preparation
Les Parisiens’ club captain Marquinhos has started 14 of those European games. That’s the same number of total appearances he made in the league (11 starts, three as a substitute).
From 13 February to 19 April, Marquinhos didn’t see a single minute of league action, remaining an unused sub in seven successive games. He played every minute of the holders’ six Champions League fixtures in that timeframe.
Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele completed 90 minutes in the league only once in 22 appearances. Fellow forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia played for the duration just twice in 28 matches.
Dembele started a mere 11 league games (nine at the time of the award), featuring in 22 out of a possible 34 overall, although a succession of injury problems did cause him to miss 10 of those.
Rotation Impact on PSG’s League Form
Luis Enrique used 28 players in league fixtures versus Arteta’s 25. Three of their six league defeats – against Marseille in September, Monaco in November and Lyon in April – came immediately after Champions League ties.
Midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery played more league minutes than anyone else in the PSG squad with 2,453. Six Arsenal players clocked up more than that.
- Arsenal are bidding to win their first Champions League.
- The final is at Budapest’s Puskas Arena.
- PSG played a two-legged knockout phase play-off against French rivals Monaco to reach the final.
When the best teams in England and France go head-to-head in Saturday’s Champions League final it will mark a thrilling end to a gruelling season for both clubs.