Mikel Arteta during training session ahead of the UCL final

Mikel Arteta during training session ahead of the UCL final | Credit: IMAGO/Newspix

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal hungry for history against Paris St. Germain after title win

Saturday's clash in Budapest has the newly crowned English champions go up against a swaggering Paris St Germain side that dumped them out of the competition last year in the semi-finals.
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Arsenal are hungry to write history and win their first Champions League final having got a taste for winning following their recent Premier League title, manager Mikel Arteta said on Friday.

Saturday's clash in Budapest has the newly crowned English champions go up against a swaggering Paris St Germain side that dumped them out of the competition last year in the semi-finals.

Arsenal's first domestic triumph in 22 years means they are going into Saturday's showpiece with their tails up and looking to confirm their status among Europe's elite.

They are also boosted by the return of right-sided Dutch full back Jurrien Timber, who has been out injured since March, who if he plays will be up against PSG's exhilarating Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

"We have the opportunity tomorrow to write a new chapter in the history of the football club," Arteta told reporters.

"We have to play tomorrow with such a clarity, a lot of courage and desire to win, but we have those three aspects."

The Spaniard said the Premier League win had not eased the pressure on his side; rather, it had fuelled the players' fire.

"The ambition is bigger," Arteta said. "We have won and we want the second one,that is all we have been talking about. That has to be a platform to reach bigger destinations."

Much has been made of the demands of the Premier League compared to France's Ligue 1, but Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka said there would be no fatigue given the trophy at stake.

"A game like this is not going to be decided on minutes, it is going to be decided by moments," Saka said. "It is a massive opportunity to do something special."

Arteta said he still felt Arsenal had been unlucky to lose to PSG last year and praised their manager Luis Enrique as an "inspiration" and architect of his side's success.

There was little room for sentiment otherwise though.

"They (PSG) are defending the trophy, they are the champions and we are here to take it away from them," Arteta said.

(Reporting by Marc Jones; editing by Christian Radnedge)

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