Mikel Arteta has said Jurrien Timber is fit to start Arsenal’s Champions League final against Paris St-Germain on Saturday, a major lift for a side that has spent the build-up working around a right-back shortage. Timber has not played for Arsenal since March, when he sustained a groin injury in the win over Everton.
That is why Arsenal line up today talk has sharpened around one position in particular. Timber’s return gives Arteta a natural option for a final that could otherwise have asked too much of makeshift solutions, with Ben White ruled out by a knee ligament injury and Cristhian Mosquera, Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice all used there at different points this season.
The timing matters because Arsenal are in Budapest to face Luis Enrique’s reigning champions, and the final carries more than ordinary weight for a club trying to turn a promising European run into a trophy. PSG knocked Arsenal out in the semi-finals last year, and they arrive with a chance to become only the second team in the Champions League era to win back-to-back titles.
Arteta did not sound like a manager preparing to play safe. He said the team must be confident they can “go and do it,” adding that the ambition is bigger and that Arsenal are there to take the trophy away from the holders. In other words, Timber’s availability is not just a fitness update; it is part of a lineup decision built for a final Arsenal believe they can win.
There is still one small but significant layer of uncertainty. Arteta has said Timber is fit to start, but that does not make him a guaranteed inclusion in the XI, and the rest of Arsenal’s back line will be shaped by how the manager balances a return from injury against the demands of a one-off match. Noni Madueke is also available after coming off with a hamstring issue against Crystal Palace last weekend, giving Arteta another option in a week when the bench matters almost as much as the starting team.
Budapest is bracing for a huge night beyond the stadium as well. Police expect at least 10,000 ticketless fans in the city, and the number of visitors passing through Liszt Ferenc International Airport over the weekend is expected to almost double to around 85,000. Arsenal will name their final lineup for the final against PSG with Timber back in the frame, and the biggest unanswered question now is whether Arteta hands him the right-back role from the first whistle.
