Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has weighed in on the upcoming Champions League final, predicting that Paris Saint-Germain will have the upper hand against Arsenal when the two sides meet in Budapest. Despite Arsenal’s Premier League triumph, Neville believes the French champions possess a ruthless edge that will prove decisive.
Arsenal ended a 22-year wait for the English top-flight title by narrowly edging out Manchester City. With the league secured, Mikel Arteta gave key players a breather in the final match against Crystal Palace, a game Arsenal still won 2-1 to cap off their celebrations at Selhurst Park. Now, the Gunners turn their attention to the Champions League final on Saturday, May 30.
Neville acknowledged that the rest Arsenal’s squad enjoyed could be beneficial, but he doubts it will be enough to overcome PSG. Speaking on ‘The Gary Neville Podcast’, he described Luis Enrique as an obsessive, serial-winning manager who instills a relentless winning mentality in his team. “PSG are on a different level,” Neville said. “They have one of those obsessive managers—and I mean that as a compliment—who are just winners, serial winners. That ruthless mentality drives them to do anything to win, and they consistently achieve victory. Luis Enrique is arguably the greatest manager in the world right now.”
This will be only Arsenal’s second appearance in a Champions League final, having lost their first to Barcelona in 2006. The north London side will need to overcome a PSG team brimming with confidence and quality if they hope to lift the trophy in Budapest.