Arsenal players ‘not afraid’ of facing PSG in Champions League final (Image: 2026 James Gill – Danehouse)
Former Manchester City and England defender Nedum Onuoha believes Arsenal have no fear at all facing Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final following last night’s game against Bayern Munich. The north Londoners defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate to secure a place in the final in Budapest later this month and will be watching closely as Bayern take on PSG last night.
France went into the second leg in Germany with a 5-4 advantage, and Ousmane Dembele’s early goal put PSG on the defensive with a two-goal margin. Harry Kane’s late goal proved insufficient to fight back, and Onuoha was thoroughly impressed by PSG’s defense after a dramatic first leg on French soil.
On Match of the Day, Onuoha said: “If you’re an Arsenal player watching this game, I don’t think they’re worried at all. They’re just happy to have made it to the final.”
“From their point of view, they have earned the right to sit back and watch this draw unfold, and when it’s all said and done, they’ll start to get excited knowing who they’re going to play in Budapest.”
After the final whistle, the former City man added: “I was very impressed with PSG’s defense tonight. The amount of work they did was incredible.”
“After they got off to a quick start with the goal, you saw a lot of effort all over the pitch to not just park the bus but defend properly.
“Instead, they were trying to win man-to-man duels and it wasn’t just defenders, midfielders and attackers, it was everyone across the board.
“Everyone played their role brilliantly and as a result I think Bayern were not as creative as the team we saw a week ago.”
With just a month to go until one of the most unforgettable seasons in the club’s history, the Gunners find themselves in a prime position to win the Premier League title.
PSG aims to win back-to-back Champions League titles (Image: Getty)
The showdown with PSG was a rematch of last season’s Champions League semi-final, with the French team winning 3-1 on aggregate to lift the trophy.
Mikel Arteta’s side will be hungry for revenge and Bukayo Saka has already given significant hints that the Gunners are determined to defeat Luis Enrique’s side this time.
When asked about his preferred opponent in the final on CBS Sports on Tuesday night, Saka said, “Well, well… you can’t ask me that. I’d have to give a trained answer in the media.”
When pressed further on the matter, he added, “Deep down I think we know who we want to play in the final.”
Intentionally puzzling, Saka’s reaction has led to speculation among supporters that Arsenal may have had PSG in mind, keen to exact revenge against the French giants.
PSG defeated Arsenal 3-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals this time last year, knocking them out of the competition.
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