Arsenal face ‘fresher’ PSG in Champions League final after gruelling season

Credit: Getty Images

Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain in Saturday’s Champions League final carrying the burden of a significantly more demanding domestic campaign than their French opponents.

The showpiece event at Budapest’s Puskas Arena will mark Arsenal’s 63rd game of the season, compared to PSG’s 56th, with the difference in workload particularly stark among key players.

According to the BBC, Mikel Arteta’s starting eleven from the semi-final second leg has amassed almost 7,000 extra minutes of playing time in league games this season compared to PSG’s equivalent lineup – 6,726 minutes to be precise.

PSG’s luxury of rotation

Luis Enrique has been able to rest many of his star players throughout Ligue 1, a luxury afforded by weaker domestic opposition and the club’s enormous squad depth built through Qatari investment.

PSG captain Marquinhos exemplifies this approach, starting just 11 league games despite featuring in 14 Champions League matches. The Brazil defender didn’t see a single minute of league action between 13 February and 19 April, remaining an unused substitute in seven successive games while playing every minute of six European fixtures during that period.

Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele completed 90 minutes in the league only once across 22 appearances, while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia went the full duration just twice in 28 matches. Remarkably, Dembele won Ligue 1 player of the season despite starting merely 11 league games.

Arsenal’s relentless workload

In contrast, Arsenal’s key players have been putting in significant shifts across all competitions. David Raya played every minute of the season until being rested on the final day against Crystal Palace with the title already secured.

Declan Rice, William Saliba, Gabriel and Martin Zubimendi have all started at least 30 league games for the Gunners. Only PSG’s Warren Zaire-Emery can match that frequency for the French side, despite still accumulating fewer minutes than six Arsenal players.

Of the 10 players with the most league minutes between both clubs this season, just two – Zaire-Emery and Illia Zabarnyi – represent PSG.

Final preparations

The timing also favours PSG, who secured Ligue 1 with a game to spare on 13 May before losing their final match to Paris FC. This has given them 13 days of rest before Saturday’s final, compared to Arsenal’s six.

Luis Enrique’s rotation policy, which saw him use 28 players in league fixtures compared to Arteta’s 25, did result in three defeats immediately following Champions League ties. However, these proved inconsequential given PSG’s domestic dominance.

Arsenal have just ended their 22-year wait to be crowned champions of England again, meaning both finalists are level on 14 league titles. Saturday’s final will determine whether Arsenal can claim their first European Cup or PSG can add to their maiden Champions League triumph.