Arsenal defender Ben White will miss the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain after a knee injury ended his season prematurely.
The newly-crowned Premier League champions are targeting a historic double, having ended their 20-year wait to reclaim the summit of English football.
Mikel Arteta’s side are 90 minutes away from breaking their duck on the continent and avenging their 2006 heartache against Barcelona.
The North London club face last season’s Champions League winners in Budapest at the Puskas Arena, brimming with confidence heading into the showpiece occasion.
There is significant positive news for Arsenal, however, with Jurrien Timber passed fit to start after being sidelined since March.
When asked about Timber’s availability, Arteta confirmed: “He’s fit, yeah.”
Mikel Merino has also returned to first-team training following the Premier League title celebrations, while Christian Norgaard will be hoping to shake off a knock ahead of the final.
Paris Saint-Germain have also received a major boost, with Luis Enrique confirming that Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes are both available after overcoming recent injury scares.
Hakimi had not featured since PSG’s dramatic first-leg win over Bayern Munich, while Mendes suffered a knock in that game before aggravating the issue in the second leg.
Enrique was clear when addressing the fitness of his two full-backs, stating: “Haki and Nuno, they are OK, they are able to play tomorrow.”
Ousmane Dembele also dismissed any concerns over his fitness after picking up a calf issue during PSG’s final Ligue 1 match against Paris FC.
The Ballon d’Or winner told reporters: “No, no, I wasn’t scared about missing the final as I stopped when I felt the niggle and I’ve had 10 or 15 days to get myself in shape before the final.”
Dembele spoke confidently about the collective preparation across the squad heading into the biggest game of the European season.
He added: “The season was complicated for everyone at PSG, we didn’t have a lot of down time but the coach and the staff kept a hand over scheduling tweaks so we could make the Champions League final, I’m 100 percent ready and raring to go.”
Dembele concluded his pre-match comments with a simple message, saying: “We’re hoping things go well tomorrow.”
Not everyone will be available for Luis Enrique, however, with Lucas Chevalier and Quentin Ndjantou both ruled out and forced to watch from the stands through injury.
