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Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain clash with Arsenal in Saturday’s final in Budapest aiming to defend their crown.

The Gunners have never won the trophy but after clinching the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years Mikel Arteta’s side believe they can dethrone the French champions.

AFP Sport looks at five key talking points ahead of the clash at the Puskas Arena.
Arsenal’s set-piece threat
This season Arteta’s team have sometimes struggled to create from open play, but they have produced incredible danger from dead ball situations.

Arsenal’s physical players cause havoc at corners, particularly centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes, and they will look to put PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov under heavy pressure, perhaps their weakest link.
Set piece coach Nicolas Jover is considered the best in the business and nearly 40 percent of Arsenal’s goals in their run to the Premier League title came from dead ball situations.

“People may say that they don’t score team goals, but who cares about that?” said PSG coach Luis Enrique, acknowledging Arsenal’s effective tactics. “Ask any Arsenal fan and I’m sure they’re delighted.”

PSG’s strong left flank
Arsenal are boosted by Jurrien Timber’s return to fitness after a groin injury, particularly given the biggest problem for Arteta to solve is how to handle PSG’s left flank.

Winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has arguably been the competition’s best player, scoring 10 goals for the French side, and behind him at left-back Nuno Mendes is a dynamic force going forward.
Arteta must decide whether to put Timber straight into the line-up after two-and-a-half months out, or if he will deploy centre-back Cristhian Mosquera on the right.

Declan Rice has also been used there in Timber’s absence but the midfielder will be vital in the centre of the pitch up against PSG’s Vitinha.

Mileage check
Many of Arsenal’s likely starting line-up in the final have played over 3,000 minutes each this season across all competitions, with Declan Rice, William Saliba, Gabriel, Martin Zubimendi and David Raya hitting 4,000.
Arteta has stayed faithful to a core of players and insisted his team should not use fatigue as an “excuse”.

“That’s the context and that’s the scenario, and we have to embrace it and especially enjoy the opportunity,” said the Spanish coach last month, in the thick of the title race.
By contrast, Luis Enrique has been able to rotate and rest many of his first choice players in Ligue 1 as PSG claimed their 12th title in the last 14 years.

Only Willian Pacho, Vitinha and Warren Zaire-Emery have more than 3,000 minutes banked this season.

“Rest is also an integral part of preparation, especially when we’re playing matches like these,” said Luis Enrique before the final.

PSG did compete at the Club World Cup last summer though, increasing the need for the Asturian coach to balance his players’ game-time.

Clean sheet machine
The statistics of both sides lead many to imagine the final will turn out to be a question of whether the ‘unstoppable force’ of PSG can break down Arsenal’s ‘immovable object’.
Arsenal have conceded just six goals in the tournament, staying unbeaten, and goalkeeper David Raya has nine clean sheets, matching the all-time record.
In front of him Gabriel and William Saliba form a formidable centre-back pairing for Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele to try and break through, amply supported by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue.
PSG have scored 44 goals in the tournament, one short of the record of 45 set by Barcelona in the 1999-2000 campaign.

A Luis Enrique surprise
PSG outgunned Bayern Munich with a thrilling 5-4 victory in the first leg of the semi-final clash, leaving the world licking their lips and waiting for more entertainment from the second leg.
However wily coach Luis Enrique changed his gameplan considerably and PSG played far more conservatively in Munich, securing a 1-1 draw to reach the final.

Always keen to spring a surprise on his opponents, Luis Enrique said the Ligue 1 champions would adapt their game to face Arsenal.
“We’ll have to adapt to play and defend in a different way compared to what we usually do if we want to get the better of them,” said Luis Enrique.

Goalkeeper Safonov blasted the ball off the pitch several times, as a strategy to congest the areas around dangerous Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise.
“We have analysed everything they do in every phase,” said Arteta.

“We’ve prepared the possible scenarios. We try to understand the purpose behind what they do and what they want to achieve.”

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Nigerian international footballer Samuel Chukwueze laid his mother, Mrs. Sarah Chukwueze, to rest on Friday May 29 in Abia State in a very emotional burial ceremony.

The video from the event shows the AC Milan winger and his family gathered as they paid their final respects to the woman many described as the pillar of their home. Chukwueze lost his mother earlier this year after a brief illness, and yesterday marked the final goodbye.

In the footage, you can see the pain on the faces of family members as the casket was lowered. Friends, teammates, and well-wishers turned out to support the Super Eagles star during this difficult moment. The atmosphere was heavy, with many people, including Chukwueze visibly moved by the occasion.

Super Eagles player Samuel Chukwueze today laid his late mother, Mrs. Sarah Chukwueze, to rest in Abia State.

Mrs. Sarah Chukwueze passed away in January 2026 at the peak of the football season in Europe pushing forward the burial for the mother of one Nigeria’s tantalizing attackers to the end of the season.

Chukwueze’s brother had earlier broken the news on Instagram, describing their mother as a loving and supportive woman who stood by her children through thick and thin.

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José Mourinho is set for a dramatic return to Real Madrid after signing a three-year contract to take charge of the Spanish giants, ending weeks of speculation over the club’s managerial future.

The Portuguese coach will not be officially presented until after Real Madrid’s presidential election scheduled for June 7.

However, the agreement depends on current president Florentino Perez retaining his position in an election expected to end his club’s first contested presidential race in two decades.

Mourinho, 63, leaves Benfica after a brief spell that ended with a third-place finish in Portugal’s Primeira Liga.

His return comes as Real Madrid seek a reset after a disappointing 2025-26 campaign that ended without silverware.

Barcelona reclaimed the La Liga title, while Bayern Munich knocked Los Blancos out of the Champions League quarter-finals.

Mourinho previously managed Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013, winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup during a fiercely competitive era dominated by clashes with Barcelona.

He replaces Alvaro Arbeloa, who took over in January following Xabi Alonso’s departure.

Since leaving Madrid in 2013, Mourinho has managed Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, Roma, Fenerbahce and Benfica, collecting major honours including a Premier League title with Chelsea, the Europa League with United and the Europa Conference League with Roma.

Real Madrid are now turning back to a familiar figure, banking on Mourinho’s experience, authority and winning pedigree to end two barren seasons and restore the club’s dominance.