Arsenal face French giants Paris Saint-Germain in Saturday’s Champions League final, and the Gunners will be boosted by returning stars heading into the game.
Julian Timber recovered in time for the Champions League final (Image: Getty Images)
Julian Timber is fit enough to start in the Champions League final, Mikel Arteta has confirmed.
The Dutch defender has missed the last 14 games with a groin problem. However, he has accelerated his recovery in recent weeks and flew to Budapest ahead of the match.
Arteta has revealed that Timber has a good chance of starting against PSG. In his pre-match press conference in Hungary, the Arsenal manager said: “Yeah, he’s healthy.”
Asked if there was a chance the former Ajax player would start, Arteta said yes. The manager also revealed that winger Noni Madueke is ready to play, with Ben White the only player missing after appearing to have problems in the Gunners’ final Premier League game of the season against Crystal Palace.
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Arteta is currently at a loss as he tries to choose the team to face PSG. When asked how much of a challenge it will be, the Spaniard replied: “You look around and you see the joy and desire of everyone to play this game. This is the biggest game in football and everyone wants to be a part of it.”
Arsenal are aiming to lift the Champions League trophy for the first time in the club’s history on Saturday, while PSG are aiming for back-to-back titles after beating Inter Milan 12 months ago.
“(We will need) a lot of courage and a constant desire to win,” Arteta added of the challenges ahead.
Noni Madueke is also in good form and energized ahead of the Champions League final (Image: Getty Images)
“Well, they (PSG) are defending the trophy, they are champions and we are here to take it away from them.”
Arsenal are on track heading into the match, but there is one major concern regarding the PSG team. Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele admitted he is fit to play too.
He said: “I’m 100 percent ready. There were a few hiccups, but I’m ready. I had 10 or 15 days to prepare and I was able to get back into great shape again.”
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