Arsenal go in search of a maiden European crown this weekend when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.
The Gunners are looking to complete a famous league and European Cup double in Budapest, having lifted the Premier League trophy for the first time in 22 years after their 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on the final day of the domestic season.
They defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate to book their place at the Puskas Arena, while PSG, the defending champions, bested Bayern Munich 6-5 on aggregate in their thrilling last-four tie.
Here, Standard Sport selects a combined XI of the standout players from either side, with an important caveat: only those that will be fit for the Champions League final can be selected.
The team lines up in a 4-3-3 shape, since that is the formation that both clubs utilise most regularly.
Goalkeeper - David Raya
Off the bat, it is a relatively simple choice. David Raya has been a huge factor in Arsenal’s growing success since his arrival from Brentford in 2023, initially on loan, before sealing a £27million permanent move the following season.
The Spaniard displaced Aaron Ramsdale as the Gunners’ No1 and has not looked back. This term, he won the Premier League Golden Glove again with 21 clean sheets from 37 appearances, equalling David Seaman’s previous club record.
Luis Enrique has undergone a big change in his goalkeeping department, with long-serving shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma departing for Manchester City last summer after a contract dispute.
The Ligue 1 giants’ other options - Matvey Safonov and Lucas Chevalier - are unconvincing, with the PSG boss chopping and changing between the pair throughout the campaign.
Right-back - Achraf Hakimi
Arsenal are undergoing an injury crisis at right-back at present thanks to problems sustained by both Jurrien Timber and Ben White.
The former has not featured for the Gunners since March, amid ankle and groin issues, while White was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign and this summer’s World Cup after suffering a knee injury in the 1-0 win at West Ham.
Achraf Hakimi is the obvious selection, with the Moroccan having been declared ready for the final this weekend.
There had been concerns over his fitness after he suffered a hamstring injury against Bayern in the semi-finals, but his return comes as a major boost to Enrique, with his relentless energy, quality of delivery and defensive nous making him the go-to option here.
Centre-backs - Gabriel and William Saliba
This is where the Premier League champions come into their own, such is their dominance from set-pieces. Gabriel and William Saliba have both starred in central defence for Mikel Arteta this term, not just with their contributions in the opposition penalty area, but at the back in the biggest games, against the biggest names.
The way they operate as a pair makes it nigh-on impossible to split them, with Saliba often left to use his pace as the sweeper in behind, should the aggressive, front-footed Gabriel not win the first contact against the opposing No9.
It feels harsh on PSG’s standout duo of Willian Pacho and Marquinhos, especially considering the latter’s experience in this competition over the years, but Gabriel’s aerial dominance and Saliba’s sheer quality on and off the ball make the Arsenal representatives a no-brainer.
Left-back - Nuno Mendes
Speaking of no-brainers, this one is relatively simple too, especially when the world’s best player at left-back is among the options.
Arsenal have three contenders here - Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly - and all are unlucky to miss out for their own reasons.
Hincapie offers a similar aggression in the challenge to that of Gabriel - that nastiness of a true defender - while also having an eye for a pass and the awareness to know what’s around him as he joins in attacks.
Calafiori is similar when it comes to his interplay in tight areas in and around the penalty box, as well as his one-to-one defending, while Lewis-Skelly has shown no fear on the biggest stage and an adeptness to drift into midfield and flood the engine room to create numerical overloads.
But none of them come close to Nuno Mendes, who is in the perfect left-back mould. Athleticism, creativity, an eye for goal and defensive solidity - it would be impossible to pass him up.
Central midfielders - Declan Rice, Joao Neves and Vitinha
Into centre midfield, and there is an argument to be made to keep both sides’ trios together completely.
That is not the case here, but it will be PSG who have to make room for an addition.
Fabian Ruiz is the one that drops out, in place of Arsenal’s £100million man Declan Rice, who has had a stellar campaign operating in a more advanced role.
The England international has excelled as a No8 in Arteta’s 4-3-3, fielded on the left of the trio and given the licence to join attacks or start them with his trademark darts from midfield, carrying the ball powerfully through the thirds. Of course, his set-piece delivery also comes into the equation.
Otherwise, Joao Neves and Vitinha are the PSG representatives - and for good reason.
Neves’ all-action game was what attracted the Ligue 1 champions to sign him in the first place, along with his unrelenting ability to cover ground, duel-winning, progressive passing and eye for goal.
Completing the three you need the technician, the orchestrator. That is the diminutive Vitinha, who has filled the boots of the departed Marco Verratti with consummate ease.
The Portuguese glides through busy corridors, inhabits and creates from the tiniest pockets of space, and keeps things ticking over neatly, while also having a clear understanding of where he must position himself defensively.
Right wing - Bradley Barcola
Arsenal fans, look away now. You might not like this one.
Bukayo Saka has risen from the Gunners’ academy to skippering his boyhood club in the absence of captain Martin Odegaard.
The Englishman hasn’t had his best season in terms of output, though, notching 11 goals and eight assists in 45 games across all competitions.
Bradley Barcola, meanwhile, has the capability of operating off both flanks and strikes that fear into a full-back that Saka does not always, with his electrifying pace, two-footedness and ability to do the unexpected.
Saka, on the other hand, while still hugely influential, just has not had that same ‘wow’ factor that the young Frenchman has this season, as was on show when PSG dismantled Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the last 16.
Striker - Ousmane Dembele
Not ideal for Viktor Gyokeres or Kai Havertz when they are up against the current Ballon d’Or holder.
Ousmane Dembele, who rose to prominence as a tricky, two-footed winger at Rennes and Borussia Dortmund, has been transformed by Enrique as a false nine, dropping deep to link play and lure out opposing centre-backs, and giving the two forwards flanking him space to exploit in behind with their pace.
The Frenchman himself is also frighteningly quick, and has the capability of playing on the shoulder of the last defender to latch onto threaded through balls.
His nature as a ‘big-game player’ is what ultimately rendered him the best player on the planet, as he demonstrated in the knockout stages of this competition.
Left wing - Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Again, this position is one where Arsenal don’t really stand a chance.
Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard have provided big moments for the Gunners throughout the season, but they are nowhere near Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s level.
The Georgian has exploded into life this term, scoring 10 goals in 15 Champions League games, making the berth previously held by Neymar his own, and with some conviction.
