Martín Zubimendi is expected to begin the UEFA Champions League final on the bench, with Myles Lewis-Skelly reportedly set to line up alongside Declan Rice in Arsenal’s midfield on Saturday in Budapest. The change would leave one of Arsenal’s most prominent central midfield figures outside the starting XI for the club’s biggest match of the season.
The final is due at the Puskas Arena, where Arsenal are preparing to face the reigning European champions with Mikel Arteta’s usual 4-2-3-1 system still expected to stay in place. In that shape, David Raya is listed as the goalkeeper, Jürrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori form the back four, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard sit behind Viktor Gyökeres, and the midfield pivot would be Rice and Lewis-Skelly rather than Rice and Zubimendi.
The lineup report came from L'Equipe, and it lands at a moment when Arsenal supporters are reading every clue they can find before kickoff. A run to the final has already sharpened the stakes, and the reported call on Zubimendi is the clearest sign yet that Arteta may be leaning on pace and balance in midfield rather than the stronger presence the Spain international has given the team in central areas.
Arteta sounded confident when he spoke about the build-up, saying preparation had been excellent and very positive, and that Arsenal were in the final because they had earned it. He added that the team had to win the right to lift the trophy tomorrow, while also underlining that the opposition are the reigning champions and have earned the status of favorites. Arsenal, he said, are there to take that away from them. In a separate note of respect, Arteta described Luis Enrique as a reference since his playing days and called his work at Paris Saint-Germain spectacular.
There is still a gap between the report and the final decision. The expected shape is clear, but Arsenal have not confirmed that Arteta will actually use the same XI in Budapest. That is the part supporters will watch most closely: whether Zubimendi starts, or whether Lewis-Skelly is trusted to take his place next to Rice when the final begins.
Arteta said Arsenal had learned a lot from last season’s matches against PSG, and after watching them back he felt his side had come very close. He called those games quite unfair, then said the story is different now and he is sure Arsenal will play a great match tomorrow. By Saturday evening, the answer will not be in the speculation around Zubimendi anymore. It will be in the midfield Arteta sends out at the Puskas Arena.
