Bukayo Saka has dropped a big hint over whether Arsenal want to face Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.
Saka delivered the winning goal on the stroke of half-time to fire the Gunners to a 2-1 aggregate semi-final triumph over Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta’s side will now face either Bayern Munich or PSG in Budapest on May 30, and Saka revealed the Gunners do have a preference, without naming the club.
When asked on CBS Sports who Arsenal would rather face, he said: “Come on, man… you can’t ask me that. I’d have to give a media-trained answer.” But pushed for a response, the England international added: “You know deep down who we’d want to face in the final.”
PSG and Bayern served up a Champions League classic last week as PSG edged their semi-final first leg 5-4 in Paris. Arsenal beat Bayern earlier this season with a dominant 3-1 home performance, but Bayern eliminated Arsenal two seasons ago with a 3-2 aggregate win and had regularly beaten the Gunners in the Wenger era. A Bayern final would also see Arsenal face former Tottenham striker Harry Kane and manager Vincent Kompany.
If Arsenal meet PSG it would be revenge after last season’s semi-final, when Luis Enrique’s side won 3-1 on aggregate and went on to lift the trophy, beating Inter Milan 5-0 in the final.
Supporters and pundits offered mixed views online. Some fans insisted Arsenal can beat either side, pointing to their unbeaten European run and the recent win over Bayern; others felt PSG or Bayern would be favorites.
Arteta hailed his players for “making history” after securing their place in the Champions League final. He said it was “an incredible night” and praised the supporters for creating a unique atmosphere. Arsenal will arrive in Budapest as the sole unbeaten team in this season’s competition, with 11 wins and three draws, and a run of 14 matches without defeat — a new Champions League record for the club.
Captain Martin Odegaard said the squad had “dreamt of this our whole lives” and described reaching the final as “such a special night” for the team, club and supporters.
Declan Rice called on Arsenal fans to turn Budapest into a sea of red, urging “200,000 of you” to travel despite the club receiving an official allocation of just 16,824 tickets from UEFA. He described the Emirates atmosphere as the best he has witnessed and credited the fans with helping the team through a tense night.
With Manchester City’s draw at Everton leaving the Premier League title race in Arsenal’s hands, Arteta noted the shift in energy and belief around the club but stressed the need to focus on the immediate challenge: “Let’s enjoy the moment but tomorrow let’s start to live in the present.” Arsenal next face West Ham in the league before final preparations for the showpiece in Hungary.