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“We have one, and now we want the second one.” Here’s Ed Aarons on Mikel Arteta’s hunger for trophies.
Another key question: which band will be headlining the pre-match show? The answer is The Killers.
“With more than 35 million albums sold worldwide and a catalogue including multi-platinum anthems such as Mr. Brightside, When You Were Young and Human, the band continues to captivate audiences across generations,” it says here.
The Killers themselves said this. And definitely word for word: “When we were asked to perform at the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show presented by Pepsi we said, ‘Yes’ without hesitation; some stages speak for themselves. We’re honoured to celebrate the incredible teams and players at what will undoubtedly be an epic match.”
Here’s an obscure fun fact not quoted by uefa.com. Lead singer Brandon Flowers is the cousin of former PGA Tour golf pro, Craig Barlow. Of course, we all recall him finishing 26th in the 2006 US Open.
If you want more on Brandon Flowers, here’s something from the archives.
Will the demands of a punishing Premier League season catch up with Arsenal tonight? That angle is addressed here by the stats gurus at Opta.
“Across both squads, 12 players have played at least 3,000 minutes of competitive football this season, and nine of them play for Arsenal. If Jurriën Timber is passed fit, all of them could start on Saturday.”
Mikel Arteta: Perhaps had he taken a different path as a teenager, the Arsenal boss could have been hitting forehand winners in the French Open (full coverage here folks). Our man in Spain, Sid Lowe, delves into Arteta’s back story. Spoiler: he chose football over tennis.
Barney Ronay has already arrived in Budapest. Can Arsenal pull this thing off?
“Saturday afternoon at the Puskas Arena already looks like a twin-track event for Mikel Arteta’s team, an occasion that changes shape according to the angle from which you see it. On one hand, victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final would represent the greatest day in Arsenal’s history. On the other, this is an occasion that feels strangely light, fun, celebratory, a free-hit kind of final.”
And as for Arsenal actually beating the flamboyant holders?
“You’re not going to outdance Michael Jackson. But you may beat him at a really long and painful game of Scrabble.”
Donald McRae is usually doing a brilliant job of teasing great stories out of others. But, as an expectant Arsenal fan, he has his own tale to tell and it begins in a South African cinema in 1969. Donald and his 25-year-old son, who is just as besotted by the Gunners, will be at the final in Budapest this evening.
To witness a Champions League final in person, first you have to get there. And that’s far from straightforward.
“Ben Boxhall is flying to Kraków with two friends. They plan to catch a bus from Kraków to Budapest at 5am on Saturday. The trio have not got a hotel booked in Budapest and, after joining the thousands of fans expected at the Uefa meeting point where the game will be shown, plan to pull an all-nighter before catching the first bus back to Kraków. “We were looking at flying to Budapest but it was about £500 to £600 on Wizz Air,” said Adam Wares.” Instead they paid £170 for their return flights.”
Preamble
“A massive opportunity to do something special.” The words of Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka as the Gunners look to pull off a sensational double by following up their Premier League title success by winning the Champions League for the first time.
Opponents PSG broke their own European Cup duck last year and in scintillating style. Many shrewd judges fancied opponents Inter to grind out a narrow win in Munich; instead, Luis Enrique’s side led the Italians a merry dance to run out 5-0 winners and record the biggest victory margin in the competition’s history. The bookies make PSG favourites to retain their crown, but after ending their 20-year wait for a domestic league title perhaps the force is with Mikel Arteta’s men
The build-up begins here and, KICK-OFF ALERT, don’t be planning a day out or ordering a pizza for a 7.30pm date with the sofa as the game in Budapest kicks off at 5pm BST.
Beyond PSG v Arsenal, we’ll be travelling the globe for more World Cup news and also be looking ahead to the Women’s FA Cup final on Sunday.
Ready? Of course you are.
Let’s go! Allons-y!
