Key Talking Points Ahead of PSG vs Arsenal Champions League Final

The match ball is on display prior to a press conference, in Budapest, Hungary, 29 May 2026. (EPA)
The match ball is on display prior to a press conference, in Budapest, Hungary, 29 May 2026. (EPA)
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Key Talking Points Ahead of PSG vs Arsenal Champions League Final

The match ball is on display prior to a press conference, in Budapest, Hungary, 29 May 2026. (EPA)
The match ball is on display prior to a press conference, in Budapest, Hungary, 29 May 2026. (EPA)

Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain face 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 center-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 center-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 center 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 center-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 analyzed 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."



Fernandez’s Chelsea Future Uncertain as Alonso Seeks Commitment

Football - Premier League - Fulham v Chelsea - Craven Cottage, London, Britain - August 24, 2026 Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez comes on as a substitute. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Fulham v Chelsea - Craven Cottage, London, Britain - August 24, 2026 Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez comes on as a substitute. (Reuters)
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Fernandez’s Chelsea Future Uncertain as Alonso Seeks Commitment

Football - Premier League - Fulham v Chelsea - Craven Cottage, London, Britain - August 24, 2026 Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez comes on as a substitute. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Fulham v Chelsea - Craven Cottage, London, Britain - August 24, 2026 Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez comes on as a substitute. (Reuters)

Xabi Alonso said he wants players that "feel a desire" to play for Chelsea after Enzo Fernandez was left out of Thursday's League Cup win over Luton.

The Argentina midfielder has been linked with a move to Manchester City, but no suitor has yet met Chelsea's reported £120 million ($163 million) valuation of Fernandez.

The 25-year-old came off the bench in the Blues' 3-2 win over Fulham to give Alonso a winning start to his reign in the Premier League on Monday.

However, the former Real Madrid boss hinted that Fernandez may not be involved against Brighton on Sunday.

"We need to take everything into consideration, players that are in good moments, players that are not feeling that energy to play. For me it's very important that they feel that desire to play and to have good preparation," said Alonso.

"We talked and we decided that (for Luton) it was better not to be part of the squad. He's a top player, there's no doubt about that."

Selling Fernandez would ease the pressure on Chelsea to meet financial sustainability regulations after another window of heavy investment in the transfer market.

Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra, Valentin Barco, Pep Chavarria, Danny Welbeck, Emmanuel Emegha and Geovany Quenda have arrived at Stamford Bridge for combined fees in excess of £300 million.

Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez is also expected to join to replace the error-prone Robert Sanchez as Chelsea's first choice goalkeeper.

There have also been a raft of departures from the club in recent days, with strikers Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson bringing in nearly £100 million between them.

Alonso, who previously said his bloated squad size needed to be drastically cut, is satisfied with the clear-out.

"We are quite close to the plan that we had. We will see where we finish, if it's fully executed or there are some things still to be done," he added.

"But overall the balance of what we have is going to be good. We need to see how the last few days develop."


Roger Federer Heads to the Tennis Hall of Fame and Says He ‘Had the Best Time’ During His Career

Swiss former tennis player Roger Federer in action during the "Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York" exhibition match during US Open Fan Week at Arthur Ashe Stadium in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, US, 25 August 2026. (EPA)
Swiss former tennis player Roger Federer in action during the "Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York" exhibition match during US Open Fan Week at Arthur Ashe Stadium in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, US, 25 August 2026. (EPA)
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Roger Federer Heads to the Tennis Hall of Fame and Says He ‘Had the Best Time’ During His Career

Swiss former tennis player Roger Federer in action during the "Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York" exhibition match during US Open Fan Week at Arthur Ashe Stadium in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, US, 25 August 2026. (EPA)
Swiss former tennis player Roger Federer in action during the "Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York" exhibition match during US Open Fan Week at Arthur Ashe Stadium in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, US, 25 August 2026. (EPA)

Roger Federer loved to win, of course, and at the peak of his career almost always did.

All those victories and trophies he piled up alone would have made Federer remembered forever in tennis, but they were only part of the reason he enjoyed playing. He liked traveling to tournaments, meeting people and making new friends, whether they were on the other side of the net or sitting in the stands.

Only after he finished competing did Federer realize how much that impacted his legacy in the sport.

“I think when you retire, I think I said it before, that there was a lot of talk also about maybe my personality and what I brought to the game overall when I wasn’t on court, which I was a little surprised,” Federer said. "I thought it was about, in the moment, forehands and backhands and saving break points and victories and all that stuff.

"But actually it becomes a little bit, not irrelevant eventually, but it’s about what were you remembered for, how did you behave in the locker rooms or in the corridors or maybe with the media, or with the tournament directors, the ball kids."

Federer will have a chance to reflect back on it all Saturday when he is enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.

The 45-year-old from Switzerland, who will be honored along with broadcaster and former player Mary Carillo, said it would be his first trip to Newport. That seemed surprising, given how many places he's gone for his tennis.

Sure, there was regular stops such as New York and London and Paris for Grand Slam tournaments, but there were also cities like Cape Town, South Africa, for an exhibition match against Rafael Nadal that drew nearly 52,000 fans; or Mexico City, for one against Alexander Zverev that drew more than 42,000.

Those were near the end of his career, when Federer was forced to limit his schedule for health reasons. He hated having to do so, because he liked going too many places, even ones that didn't host the biggest events.

“For me, if I look back, that’s kind of what I’m very happy about, that I went through 25 years on tour, and actually felt like I made a lot of friends and a lot of people miss me,” Federer said. "Same with fans. They come up to me and say, ‘What a shame you’re not playing anymore.’

“Then I get a flashback saying it was an amazing time, and I say it every time. I loved it, and it’s a shame I can’t be on the tour anymore. But it was a great, great time and I miss it dearly.”

The fans clearly miss Federer. When he returned to the US Open this week for an exhibition, his first time playing in Flushing Meadows since 2019, the lines of fans waiting to get into Arthur Ashe Stadium resembled a night in the second week of the tournament, not well before it even began.

Federer won five straight US Open titles from 2004-08, during a stretch when he compiled a 247-15 record from 2004-06 and reached a record 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals from 2005-07, winning eight. He went on to win 1,251 matches and 103 tournaments, including 20 Grand Slams.

“He’s the best I’ve ever played against,” Andre Agassi, Federer's opponent in the 2005 final, said in a video the US Open showed before Federer took the court Tuesday.

The way he won, with far more flair than some stuffy champions of the past but without the temper tantrums of others, earned him accolades that his skills alone couldn't. He won the ATP Tour's sportsmanship award every year from 2004-09, and again from 2011-17, and the fan favorite award every year from 2003-21. Those came while earning prize money of nearly $130.6 million.

Federer hits sometimes with his children — he and wife Mirka are parents of two sets of twins — and tries to attend a few events a year to keep him connected to the sport.

“I’m in a very comfortable place today, but I’m still happy to be out there and being in the tennis world from time to time, because it is the glue to everything that surrounds me still today,” Federer said.

“I had the best time, had a lot of friends on tour, from players to people who were organizers, et cetera. So I hope that a lot of the players who retire also feel the same way about the game, because I care dearly.”


Frankfurt Signs Goalkeeper Noah Atubolu from Freiburg as Bundesliga Season Starts

Freiburg's goalkeeper Noah Atubolu gestures during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and SC Freiburg in Leverkusen, Germany, on Oct. 26, 2025. (AP)
Freiburg's goalkeeper Noah Atubolu gestures during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and SC Freiburg in Leverkusen, Germany, on Oct. 26, 2025. (AP)
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Frankfurt Signs Goalkeeper Noah Atubolu from Freiburg as Bundesliga Season Starts

Freiburg's goalkeeper Noah Atubolu gestures during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and SC Freiburg in Leverkusen, Germany, on Oct. 26, 2025. (AP)
Freiburg's goalkeeper Noah Atubolu gestures during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and SC Freiburg in Leverkusen, Germany, on Oct. 26, 2025. (AP)

Eintracht Frankfurt signed the up-and-coming German goalkeeper Noah Atubolu from Freiburg on the day the new Bundesliga season gets underway.

Atubolu was key to Freiburg's run to the Europa League final last season — where it lost to Aston Villa — and had been linked with a potential move to Villa in the summer as he sought to leave.

Instead, he heads to Frankfurt on what is initially a season-long loan with “a purchase option, which will automatically trigger an obligation to buy under certain conditions,” Frankfurt said.

Atubolu had a year left on his old Freiburg contract and has signed an extension to make the loan-to-buy deal possible, Freiburg said. That prevents him from moving elsewhere as a free agent next summer instead of joining Frankfurt permanently.

It ends a long-running transfer saga which included Freiburg signing Germany Under-21 goalkeeper Mio Backhaus from Werder Bremen as its replacement for Atubolu, who was left out of the squad for Freiburg's opening three games of the season in the German Cup and Conference League qualifiers.

“We have very complicated weeks and months behind us,” Freiburg sporting director Jochen Saier said in a statement.

The Bundesliga gets underway with defending champion Bayern Munich playing Stuttgart on Friday. Frankfurt visits Union Berlin on Saturday before Freiburg takes on Backhaus' former club Bremen on Sunday.