Arsenal will aim to complete a historic double after winning the Premier League when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest on Saturday night.
Martin Keown is confident Arsenal can beat PSG (Image: TNT Sports)
Martin Keown says Arsenal learned from last season’s Champions League semi-final loss to Paris Saint-Germain and now have the tools to beat them. The Gunners will face the defending champions in Saturday night’s final, with victory securing a historic double.
Mikel Arteta’s side are full of confidence after clinching their first Premier League title in 22 years, but they face a new challenge. PSG beat Arsenal in the semi-finals last year and Inter Milan 5-0 in the final, and have shown their firepower in the knockout stages this season.
The French champions defeated Chelsea and Liverpool before defeating Bayern Munich in the semi-finals. They have plenty of attacking talent and Arsenal know how difficult this challenge will be, having lost both legs in the semi-final a year ago.
As a result, Arsenal are seen as the underdogs, but Keown believes things will be different this time around due to the depth of their squad. The former defender believes the overall quality of the pitch has improved and Arsenal have the best mindset, with defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final being a learning experience.
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“You know, in the last two games, I thought (Gianluigi) Donnarumma (who is no longer at PSG) was great in those two games,” Keown said on TNT Sports. “And if you look at the Arsenal team, we are stronger in every compartment.
“(Jakub) Kivioglu played in these two games last year. Gabriel (Magalhães) is back with (William) Saliba. For me it’s a great partnership, the best in Europe. And in midfield, Lewis-Skelly comes there and I think that’s his best position. That makes the team stronger. (Martin) Zvimendi has joined the club and the midfield has become stronger.”
Kai Havertz is the right player to face PSG this time (Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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“And last year,[Kai]Havertz was out due to hamstring surgery, so now[Victor]Gokeres or Havertz can play up front for the team who didn’t play in that game. So Arsenal have more options. We’re a lot stronger this year.”
“And in the new format, where we win the league as a top team, PSG had to play extra time. It’s like two competitions and Arsenal found a way to get through the knockout stages, and they haven’t conceded a single goal in open play in the knockouts. So this manager has adapted really well.”
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“I think the League Cup final, where Arsenal finished second, will be a good rehearsal for this one, because there are ways to play in finals.
“You (Owen Hargreaves) know this. The way you behave, the noise, the hysteria around you, the noise when you’re in Europe, the fans abroad, it’s special. But I think the fact that they played in the recent final (even if it didn’t go well) will help them in this matter. But PSG is the ultimate test now, we know that.”
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