Mikel Arteta said Jurriën Timber is fit to start for Arsenal in Saturday’s Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, giving the side a natural right back for the biggest match of their season. He also said Noni Madueke is available for the final, easing another late concern before kickoff.
That matters now because Arsenal go into the final with their lineup only just coming into focus, and Timber’s return changes the shape of one of the most sensitive positions on the pitch. The defender had not played since the Everton victory in mid-March, when he sustained a groin problem that kept him out for nearly three months, while Madueke recovered from a minor hamstring injury suffered on the final day of the Premier League season.
Arteta did not hide the fact that Timber may need time to find his edge again after such a long spell out. But availability is the first box Arsenal needed checked. With Ben White still the only injured player, the manager can at least call on a defender who knows the position naturally rather than improvising again.
That is a meaningful change from recent weeks. Cristhian Mosquera had been filling in at right back during Timber and White’s absence, and Declan Rice’s brief experiment there against West Ham United did not last. Against PSG, that spot could become especially important because Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is expected to start on the left wing, and he has already delivered 10 goals and six assists in this Champions League campaign.
Timber’s availability does not guarantee he starts, but it gives Arsenal an option they did not have before. If Arteta turns to him on Saturday, the final will begin with a cleaner defensive plan on the right side than Arsenal have been able to use for much of the run-in.
