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Luis Enrique: PSG have more motivation than Arsenal to win Champions League

  /  autty

Luis Enrique insisted his Paris Saint-Germain team have more motivation to win the Champions League than Arsenal.

PSG face the Premier League champions as they aim to become only the second team since 1992-93 to successfully defend their crown after Real Madrid. 

Arsenal, meanwhile, are playing just their second European Cup/Champions League final, 20 years after their first such appearance in 2006, when they were beaten 2-1 by Barcelona. 

The Gunners have played more matches in the competition (225) without winning the trophy, but come into the final having ended their 22-year wait for the Premier League title. 

But during their celebrations, Mikel Arteta was seen addressing supporters and said that his team "will be the champions of Europe", adding further fuel to the fire ahead of kick-off. 

When asked about Arteta's comments, Luis Enrique told reporters: "I don't think there is any better motivation than winning the Champions League [already], but we will see.

"We will see who wins. Because that is it. We have won our leagues and I will focus on what is best for our team. I don't think that there is a favourite, to be honest.

"For us, the devil is in the detail and I think it will be a very close call. We have to enjoy the 90 minutes. There is always tension. It is about knowing how to manage that stress.

"Do you know how powerful the ambition is to win a second title? It's bigger."

PSG and Arsenal will be facing each other for the eighth time in all competitions, with their head-to-head record perfectly balanced at two wins each and three draws.

However, PSG have won their last two meetings against the Gunners, beating them home and away in the 2024-25 semi-finals.

And the match will pit PSG's star-studded attack against Arsenal's rock-solid defence. 

Only Barcelona in 1999-00 (45) have scored more goals in a single edition of the Champions League than PSG's 44 this campaign, while Arsenal are the only team unbeaten in this season's competition, with 11 wins and three draws.

That run has been built on a foundation laid by their defence. Arsenal hold the best defensive record in this year's Champions League, conceding six goals in 14 matches (0.43 per game). The record for teams with 13+ matches in a single campaign remains 0.31 per game, held by the Gunners (2005-06) and Chelsea (2020/21).

Arsenal have also been effective from set-pieces. They scored a Premier League-record 19 goals from corners this term, and Luis Enrique acknowledged that particular threat. 

"We've played Arsenal quite a few times, we know what their strengths are and how difficult it is to come up against them," Luis Enrique added. 

"In a game, no one knows what is going to happen. For set plays, attacks. Look at the teams we have faced. Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea.

"All these teams are teams who have given us a run for our money. We have been able to adapt, and we have always been able to deal with it."