Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed a double injury boost ahead of his side’s UEFA Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Both Jurrien Timber and Noni Madueke have been declared fit to start the biggest match in Arsenal’s recent history.
The Gunners are chasing a historic double after winning the Premier League title, with the Champions League the one remaining prize within their grasp.
It would be only the second time in the club’s 140-year history that Arsenal have appeared in a Champions League final, with the first coming in 2006.
Arteta was asked whether winning the Premier League title has reduced the pressure ahead of the final, and his answer was direct and unambiguous.
“No. The ambition is bigger. We have one, and now we want the second one. That’s all we’ve been talking about,” the Arsenal boss said.
Arteta also addressed the significance of the occasion, stating that Arsenal have the chance to write a brand new chapter in the club’s long history.
“It’s the second time in our history that we are here, and we have the opportunity tomorrow to write a new chapter in the history of this football club,” he said.
The Arsenal manager was asked about PSG head coach Luis Enrique, offering strong praise for his opposite number ahead of their touchline battle.
“He’s always been a reference since he was a player, because he was a very special player,” Arteta said, adding that Luis Enrique’s fingerprints are visible all over the PSG team.
Arteta was also asked whether former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had been in contact ahead of the final, with Wenger having publicly expressed his support.
“No, not directly, because you know how Arsene is, and he doesn’t want to be in the way,” Arteta confirmed, noting that many ex-players are rooting for the club.
The Arsenal manager spoke warmly about captain Martin Odegaard, describing him as someone “you can trust with your life” and the biggest role model in the dressing room.
When asked about PSG’s status as defending champions and tournament favourites, Arteta was characteristically focused and composed in his response.
“They are defending the trophy, so they were the last ones that had the right to lift that trophy, and we are here to take that away from them,” he said.
Arteta also reflected on last season’s semi-final exit to PSG, suggesting that both teams have evolved and that tomorrow’s game will be a different contest entirely.
He closed by speaking about the collective desire within the squad, insisting that winning the league has only sharpened the players’ hunger for more silverware.
