Paris Saint-Germain vs. Arsenal: Champions League Final Combined XI

The French champions meet the English champions in Budapest on Saturday evening when Paris Saint-Germain lock horns with Arsenal in the 2026 Champions League final.

Luis Enrique’s side are the reigning champions aiming to become just the second team in history to retain their continental crown since the tournament was rebranded back in 1992, after Real Madrid in 2016-17 and 2017-18.

Following a testing League Phase campaign, the Parisians came alive in the knockout rounds, navigating past Monaco, Chelsea, Liverpool and Bayern Munich to reach a second successive showpiece, beating the latter 6-5 on aggregate in the semi-finals.

As for Arsenal, they won all eight of their League Phase matches before beating Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting Lisbon and Atletico Madrid in the knockout rounds, winning 2-1 on aggregate against the latter in the last four.

Mikel Arteta has steered the Gunners to their first Champions League final since 2006 and they will etch their name into the history books if they clinch what would represent an unprecedented Premier League and European cup double for the North London club.

The 2026 final promises to be an intriguing contest between two elite teams who boast some of the finest players that Europe has to offer.

Here, Sports Mole takes on the arduous task of selecting a combined XI made up of players from both PSG and Arsenal.

Goalkeeper: David Raya

Matvey Safonov snatched the No.1 jersey away from Lucas Chevalier during the second half of the season, anchoring PSG’s Champions League run and securing the Ligue 1 title, but David Raya is on another level to the Russian.

Arsenal’s goalkeeper has enjoyed an outstanding 2025-26 season between the sticks, keeping 19 cleans sheets in 37 Premier League games to win his third Golden Glove in four seasons, while he has recorded an unrivalled nine shutouts in the Champions League, boasting an 89.2% save percentage.

Right-back: Achraf Hakimi

Widely regarded as one of best attacking full-backs in the world, Achraf Hakimi would walk into almost any team thanks to his lethal combination of blistering pace, powerful overlapping runs and a proven track record of delivering in the final third.

Boasting over 70 goal contributions in 206 appearances for PSG, Hakimi has registered six assists in this season’s Champions League - only Michael Olise and Vinicius Junior (both eight) have more - with four of those recorded in the knockout rounds.

Jurrien Timber has excelled as Arsenal’s right-back and is arguably a stronger defender than Hakimi, but the Morocco international gets the nod on our combined XI.

Centre-back: William Saliba

Pipping PSG captain Marquinhos to a starting spot is William Saliba, who continues to go from strength to strength under Arteta, establishing himself as one of the best ball-playing centre-backs on the planet.

Saliba has been at the heart of a stubborn Arsenal backline that has conceded just six goals in 14 Champions League matches this term, while the Gunners have kept a clean sheet in 53.06% of the 49 games the Frenchman has played in across all competitions.

Centre-back: Gabriel Magalhaes

Saliba cannot take all the credit for Arsenal’s superb defensive record, as centre-back partner Gabriel Magalhaes has been equally as important for Arteta’s side while also posing a threat from set-pieces, recording nine goal contributions in all tournaments (four goals, five assists).

Arsenal conceded just 20 Premier League goals in 2,751 minutes with Gabriel on the pitch, an average of one goal every 138 minutes, and few will be surprised to see him selected in our combined XI ahead of William Pacho, despite his stellar season with PSG.

Left-back: Nuno Mendes

Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori have proven to be two strong left-back options for Arsenal this season, but if is difficult to ignore the rise of Nuno Mendes, arguably the best left-back in world football.

The 23-year-old has elevated his game to new heights in recent seasons and his ability to dominate both defensively and offensively has made him a standout player under Enrique. Thirteen goal contributions in 40 games this term (six goals, seven assists) is an impressive return for the Portuguese.

Centre-midfield: Joao Neves

Mendes’s compatriot Joao Neves also makes our combined XI, and at the age of 21, he continues to thrive as an important cog in Enrique’s midfield machine at PSG.

Renowned for his exceptional work rate, tactical intelligence and elite passing accuracy, Neves is an all-action midfielder who makes key contributions in both boxes, while he surprisingly offers an aerial threat from set-pieces despite having a 5ft 9in frame.

Centre-midfield: Vitinha

The third Portuguese player in this team is Neves’s midfield partner Vitinha, who is equally as important for PSG, often acting as chief playmaker from a deep-lying central position in front of the back four.

The 26-year-old is not known for his goalscoring attributes, but he has netted six times in the Champions League this term, including a surprise hat-trick against Arsenal’s North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the League Phase.

Centre-midfield: Declan Rice

Neither Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino nor Myles Lewis-Skelly make our combined XI, but Declan Rice, Arsenal’s standout midfielder and set-piece specialist, makes the cut having enjoyed an exceptional 2025-26 season.

A Ballon d’Or contender in the eyes of many, Rice has played the most minutes of any outfield player for the Gunners this term (4,336), scoring five goals and providing 11 assists in 54 appearances across all competitions. He also boasts 92.2% passing accurate from 663 passes in the Champions League.

Right-wing: Bukayo Saka

Arsenal fans would have been flabbergasted if we had left Starboy Bukayo Saka out of our combined XI. The England international is a hugely influential figure in Arteta’s side and has contributed to 20 goals (11 goals, nine assists) in 48 games this season, despite experiencing spells out through injury.

Saka, who scored the winning goal in Arsenal’s semi-final second-leg win over Atletico, is one of the first names on the teamsheet at the Emirates, when fit, and takes our right-wing spot ahead of PSG pair Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola.

Striker: Ousmane Dembele

Viktor Gyokeres does not feature in our combined XI ahead of Ousmane Dembele, who has experienced a remarkable career resurgence at PSG, evolving into one of the world's most dangerous and prolific centre-forwards having previously operated out wide.

The 2025 Ballon d’Or winner and two-time Ligue 1 Player of the Season has recorded 19 goals and 11 assists for Enrique’s side this term, with five of those goals scored across his last three Champions League appearances, including three in the semi-final win over Bayern.

Left-wing: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been nothing short of sensational for PSG this season and has particularly excelled in the Champions League, scoring a team-high 10 goals and providing six assists in 15 appearances.

The skillful and aggressive Georgian winger has proven to be a big-game player for Enrique’s side, scoring in the last 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and last season’s 5-0 final victory over Inter Milan. Neither Leandro Trossard nor Gabriel Martinelli can displace PSG’s special No.7.