- Arsenal have been handed a major boost ahead of their UEFA Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain on Mat 30
- The Gunners defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate on Tuesday, May 5, in the semifinal
- Arsenal fans have expressed optimism ahead of their second European final since 2006
Arsenal are on the verge of winning their first-ever UEFA Champions League title after UEFA reportedly handed the club a major boost ahead of the final.
The Gunners defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate to reach their first Champions League final in 20 years.
The North London side secured a 1-0 victory over the Spanish giants at the Emirates Stadium on May 5, with Bukayo Saka scoring the decisive goal.
Source: Getty Images
Saka found the net in the 44th minute after Jan Oblak parried a shot from Leandro Trossard following an impressive build-up involving Viktor Gyokeres.
The first leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano ended 1-1, with Gyokeres and Julian Alvarez both getting on the scoresheet, per Sky Sports.
Arsenal had previously fallen at the semifinal stage last season after losing to Paris Saint-Germain.
This will be Arsenal’s second Champions League final appearance, their first since 2006 when they lost 2-1 to Barcelona under legendary manager Arsene Wenger.
The English club have also become the first team to play 14 or more matches in a single Champions League campaign without suffering defeat.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are chasing their first Premier League title in 20 years and currently sit five points clear of Manchester City FC at the top of the table.
Arsenal handed favourable referee for UCL final
UEFA has appointed Daniel Siebert to officiate the Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain on May 30.
Arsenal have won all five European matches officiated by the German referee.
Siebert previously handled Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Sporting CP in Lisbon as well as the semifinal second leg against Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium.
The German official has overseen 26 Champions League matches since making his debut in the competition during Liverpool’s clash against FK Crvena zvezda in the 2018/19 group stage.
Legit compiled the reactions of some Arsenal fans. Read below:
SoccerFiesta_ said:
“A very good Official. Everything will favor us. We are winning this UCL.”
@O_giver added:
“My God we are going to finally win the UCL😭😭😭.”
Source: Getty Images
When and where is the Champions League final?
According to Sports Illustrated, the final will take place on Saturday, May 30, at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.
The 67,000-capacity stadium has already hosted major European finals, including the 2023 Europa League final (Sevilla vs AS Roma) and the 2020 Super Cup, where Bayern Munich beat Sevilla.
This year’s final will feature an earlier kick-off as the match is expected to commence by 5pm (GMT), which is a major departure from the 10 pm start time of most European finals.
Supercomputer predicts Arsenal vs Atletico
Legit.ng earlier reported that Opta’s supercomputer has rated the chances of reaching the final for both teams ahead of the semi-final in London tonight.
Arsenal is the favourite to win the match, and rightly, the supercomputer gives them a 56% chance of winning in 90 minutes and progressing to the final.
Source: Legit.ng