Martin Keown has described William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes as the best centre-half partnership in the world ahead of the UEFA Champions League final.
Paris Saint-Germain face Arsenal at the Puskas Arena on Saturday night, with Keown warning the defensive duo must read situations at lightning speed to contain their opponents.
PSG have scored more goals than any other team in Europe’s elite competition this season, netting 44 times, while Arsenal have scored 29.
Despite the attacking imbalance, Mikel Arteta’s side have kept nine clean sheets in the competition, more than any other team, while PSG have managed just five.
David Raya has already equalled the record for the most clean sheets in a single Champions League campaign, a record currently held by Edouard Mendy with nine in 12 games.
Chelsea won the competition for the second time in their history five years ago, with Mendy between the sticks during that record-breaking run.
Raya has already played 13 times, and keeping a clean sheet in Budapest this weekend would see him overtake the former Blues goalkeeper outright.
Arsenal have conceded fewer xG per shot than any other team in the competition this season, recording a figure of just 0.08, while conceding only six goals despite an xGA of 11.74.
Speaking to football.london, Keown said: “I think we’ve probably got the best two central defenders in Europe right now. I think Gabriel is a bit of a sensation this season, in both boxes and what he’s brought to the team.”
Keown continued: “Saliba is like a Rolls-Royce of a player. He’s silky, good in possession, big, strong man, mobile. He’s got everything to his game. Goes on loan, by the way, for three seasons.”
The former Arsenal defender reflected on Saliba’s difficult loan spell, adding: “When you spend that amount of time on loan, you start to think, ‘this can’t be for me, I can’t be an Arsenal player’. So just think about that for a minute. The mental toughness he had.”
Keown recalled watching Saliba’s Arsenal debut, saying: “I was at the game thinking, ‘where’s this kid been?’ Goes on loan for three years and comes back. So now he’s formed a partnership with Gabriel.”
He added: “Gabriel’s a player I find I get the most joy from watching because I like his physicality. I like the way that he makes his challenges. It’s rewarding for me to watch.”
Keown went further, saying: “I’m not saying that I played like that because he’s a way better player than me, but I enjoy that style that he offers, and I think he is the leader of the pack, and they are quite formidable, and they will need to be at the weekend because they’re going to be stretched.”
Offering the pair direct advice ahead of the final, Keown warned: “Sometimes when you’re playing, when you don’t have anyone to mark, and suddenly you’ve got three players to mark, it can be a nightmare.”
He specifically highlighted the threat posed by PSG’s attacking options, saying: “[Ousmane] Dembele’s going to run out of that space. He’s going to disappear, and then [Khvicha] Kvaratskhelia is coming in like an express train, suddenly into that space. You have to be able to read things very quickly.”
Keown concluded his advice with a stern reminder of the challenge ahead, stating: “Don’t go off too deep. When you do, you’ve got to win it. It’s a difficult task to play against PSG, and this will be their most difficult game.”
