Arteta insists Arsenal ‘here to take the trophy’ ahead of Champions League final

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Mikel Arteta has declared Arsenal are in Budapest with one clear mission – to take the Champions League trophy away from defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.

The Gunners face PSG in Saturday’s final at the Puskas Arena, having gone unbeaten throughout their European campaign this season. Despite recently securing the Premier League title after a 22-year wait, Arteta insists his squad’s hunger has only intensified.

Manager embraces underdog status

“They are defending the trophy, so they were the last ones to have the right to lift that trophy. They are actually the champions, and we are here to take that away from them,” Arteta told the media on Friday.

The Arsenal manager rejected suggestions that winning the domestic title has eased pressure on his team. Instead, he believes success has sharpened their appetite for more silverware.

“No, the ambition is bigger. We have won one, and we want the second one. That’s all we’ve been talking about. That has to be a platform to reach bigger destinations and to aim for more,” he explained.

Squad depth provides major advantage

Arsenal head into the final with a significantly healthier squad than the one that faced PSG in last season’s semi-final defeat. Only Ben White remains unavailable, giving Arteta an abundance of options.

Jurrien Timber has returned to full training after missing action since March, while Noni Madueke has shaken off a weekend knock to be available for selection.

The improved squad depth represents a stark contrast to Arsenal’s injury-hit run-in last season, when key players were unavailable for crucial European ties.

Learning from previous encounters

Reflecting on Arsenal’s three matches against PSG last season, Arteta revealed he remains confident about his team’s ability to compete at the highest level.

“When I watched the games back from last season’s semi, I was very pleased with what I saw and I was even more confident about the feeling I had before about how close and how unlucky we were in a lot of moments not to go through to that final,” he said.

The Spaniard acknowledged both teams have evolved since their previous meetings, but believes Arsenal have taken valuable lessons from those encounters.

Arteta emphasized the historic nature of Saturday’s opportunity, noting it represents only the second Champions League final in Arsenal’s history. “Tomorrow is an opportunity to do something that hasn’t been done at this club before, something that will benefit us forever if we achieve it,” he concluded.

The final kicks off at 8pm local time, with Arsenal looking to add European glory to their recent Premier League triumph and establish themselves among Europe’s elite once again.