Arteta admits PSG final pain still lingers ahead of Bayern test
Mikel Arteta says he still has not moved on from last season's Champions League final defeat, with the memory fuelling Arsenal's push for continental glory ahead of a huge test against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
Arteta has made two changes to the side that edged past Nottingham Forest 1-0 on Sunday, with Noni Madueke replacing Eberechi Eze and Jurrien Timber coming in for Ben White. Madueke scored the winner against Forest and keeps his place in attack alongside Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, while Timber slots into defence next to Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori and new signing Ross Konsa.
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The starting line up reads: Raya; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Guimaraes, Odegaard; Saka, Madueke, Havertz. Kepa, Meslier, Mosquera, Lewis-Skelly, White, Zubimendi, Merino, Dowman, Eze and Gyokeres make up the substitutes.
Still hurting from May
Arsenal lost last season's final to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties, and Arteta made clear that defeat has stayed with him. “I tried, but I haven't managed to,” he said. “I tried for many weeks during the summer, but when I see the ball, the scenes, I hear the music, I want it so badly.”
“We know that we have to go step by step, but I think that fire is within the team and all of us individually. We know what we had to go through, not being champions of Europe by a penalty. So, let's try again.”
Arteta rejects 'boring' tag
Arsenal have won 10 of their 11 games in all competitions this season, but questions have persisted over the entertainment value of Arteta's football. The manager was unmoved when asked whether the criticism bothered him.
“No it doesn't,” he said. “People have their own opinions. We have our own opinion. At the end of the day, we have lost one game in 11 this season and if you call that boring or irritating, I don't know what to say. We enjoy playing football. We enjoy going out there every single day to win football matches and that's the most important thing.”
Arsenal have progressed further in the Champions League in each of the last two campaigns, reaching the quarter finals, then the semi-finals, then last season's final. They beat Bayern 3-1 in last season's league phase, having been knocked out by the same opponents in the quarter finals back in 2024.
“I'm really looking forward to the game,” Arteta said. “This is the stage, this is the kind of team, this is the kind of coach, this is the kind of club, the stadium that you want to be involved in. We have prepared the game with loads of enthusiasm. I'm really thrilled to come here and play.”
Victory in Munich would mark another statement result in Arsenal's ongoing pursuit of a trophy that has eluded the club for decades, with Arteta's side looking to use the pain of last season's final as motivation rather than a setback.
