Arsenal are bidding to win their first Champions League on Saturday. 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.
The showpiece event at Budapest’s Puskas Arena will be the 63rd game of the campaign for Arsenal, who were in the hunt for four trophies until early April. It’s Paris St-Germain’s 56th, not including the seven at last summer’s Club World Cup.
With a World Cup around the corner, there is no let up for the elite players on both sides. But, by one measure, it’s the French club whose stars enter the contest fresher.
Ligue 1 Rotation Could Benefit PSG
Luis Enrique has rested many of his key players for Ligue 1 games this season, a luxury afforded to him by weaker domestic opposition and incredible squad depth built with the enormous financial backing of the club’s Qatari owners.
Because of their 11th-place finish in the league phase, PSG have racked up 16 Champions League games to reach the final (winning a two-legged knockout phase play-off against French rivals Monaco), while Arsenal have played 14.
Of those who lined up for the clubs’ respective semi-final second legs, Mikel Arteta’s starting 11 amassed almost 7,000 extra minutes of playing time in league games this season (6,726 to be precise).
Key Players’ Rest and Game Time
Some of the numbers for individual players are eye-catching.
Les Parisiens’ club captain Marquinhos has started 14 of those European games – the same number of total appearances he made in the league (11 starts, three as a substitute).
From 13 February to 19 April, the decorated Brazil defender 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.
On 12 May, Dembele controversially won the Ligue 1 player-of-the-season award for the second year in a row, registering 10 goals and seven assists.
He 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’s Impact on PSG’s League Form
Luis Enrique’s policy of rotation – he used 28 players in league fixtures versus Arteta’s 25 – did come at some cost, albeit not a telling one.
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.
‘It’s been written’ – Arsenal players look ahead to Champions League final.