Champions League final preview | Football…Only Bettor

Kevin Hatchard (0:00)

Patience is a commodity that's generally in short supply in football, although the 10 years of Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool and Pep Guardiola at Manchester City have shown that you can build something lasting in the modern Premier League. We can now add Arsenal to the list of clubs that stuck it out through the bad times and were eventually rewarded. Mikel Arteta took up the reins in 2019 and has now ended a 22-year wait for the Premier League title. The Gunners have never won the Champions League, standing between them and the dazzling double. A PSG team that holds the trophy and that ended its own long quest for European glory a year ago. We're all set for a Titanic tussle in Budapest. I'm Kevin Hatchard and this is Football Only Better.

The final time we've assembled a top-tipping team starting with Mark O'Haire. Mark, let's start with who we think is going to lift the trophy in Budapest, because I guess PSG have that psychological experience of having done it. But of course, Arsenal are in a great place psychologically, having just won the Premier League.

Mark O'Haire (1:16)

Yeah, their fans have been singing about, you know, we are unbearable. And yeah, they are unbearable at the moment. But it's understandable really having to have such a long wait to win the title, and they were deserving Premier League champions. But yeah, looking forward to this on Saturday evening, we've got the immovable object of Arsenal against the dazzling PSG, as you put it. And we had a similar-ish scenario 12 months ago when PSG faced off against Inter, which as we know, ended up being a very one-sided final. Very much not expecting that this time around. Inter came into that final running on fumes. They were sort of close to breaking point at the time, but they were 3.6 going into that final, whereas Arsenal are 3.3 underdogs here on Saturday. So not a significant difference. I think most people would agree, Arsenal in their current guise would be a stronger, the suit's strongest prospect for Inter were in their form 12 months ago. Whilst we're on price, I do think PSG are the fair favorites here. I don't dispute that at all. And look, this is an extremely liquid market. It would be wrong of me to say the prices are wrong, but I didn't make them as strong a favorite as they are. So from a punting perspective, I do actually lean Arsenal's way in what should be a close and competitive clash of styles. There's a few reasons why I feel that way.

Arsenal have been involved in a much more taxing season than PSG. So there is that sort of chasm between the sort of conditioning and physical condition of both teams. But I just feel the weight of the world has been lifted on Arsenal's shoulders over the past 10 days. And the timing of their title win, I think, has to be considered a positive really, because it was done last midweek. There was that enormous pressure valve released. We've had time to enjoy it, celebrate it, but also sort of rest, refresh, reset, really ahead of this game. So it's impossible to kind of put a number or quantify that kind of thing. But I do feel quite strongly that it's a positive for Arsenal to have that out of the way. And now they have the opportunity to create something really historic for the club. I think they'll relish their role as underdogs. I think they are more physically imposing. And that's obviously an area of strength with set pieces. It's an area of weakness of PSG defending dead ball situations and the size of Arsenal, the intensity of Arsenal. I don't think PSG will have often faced a kind of calibre of opposition often this season. So we know all about Arsenal's ability to suffer. We know about the structure they're shaped to. And Lewis Enrique said himself, they are the best team in the world without the ball. He's also acknowledged that set piece threat as well.

Arsenal were the best team in both boxes for set pieces in the Premier League this season. They scored from every 7.4 set pieces in the league, which is incredible efficiency. And, you know, stay the obvious here, but the first goal is so crucial here. And if Arsenal were to nick one from a set piece early on, I would fancy them to sort of ride the rest of the game out, really. They are a difficult beast to overturn if you fall behind.

They are immense at controlling matches. And obviously, I think we'd all probably see the potential storyline of a Gabriel header from a Rice or Saka corner and 1-0 to the Arsenal, really. So that wouldn't be surprised me at all. But just before I hand over, I'll take this kind of full circle and go back to the odds, because these two teams met in the semifinals last season. PSG progressed, but Arsenal put them under serious stress, and Donnarumma was outstanding, really. And over the course of those two legs, Arsenal won the cumulative XG 4.54 to 2.9.