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05/30 09:09 CDT The Latest: Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal prepare for
Champions League final in Budapest
The Latest: Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal prepare for Champions League final
in Budapest
By The Associated Press
The title match in soccer's biggest club competition is here: Paris
Saint-Germain vs. Arsenal in the Champions League final in Budapest, Hungary.
PSG is looking to win Europe's elite competition for a second straight year,
while Arsenal is bidding to become European champion for the first time on its
return to the final after a 20-year wait.
Both teams are coming off winning their own domestic leagues, in France and
England, respectively.
Here's the Latest ahead of the 1600 GMT kickoff:
Big gathering at Parc des Princes Some 48,000 fans are expected to fill PSG's stadium in Paris, the Parc des Princes, to watch the match on giant screens. PSG said Paris mayor Emmanuel Gregoire is among the officials expected to attend. Former players, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Claude Makll and Ronaldinho, have been invited to Budapest for the final. Capital clubs go head-to-head -- and that's rare It's the first time in 55 years that clubs from two different capital cities are competing in the final of Europe's biggest club competition. The last was Ajax (of Amsterdam) vs. Panathinaikos (of Athens) in 1971. There were only two before that: Benfica (Lisbon) vs. Real Madrid in 1962 and Real Madrid vs. Partizan Belgrade in 1966. This is also the first major European final featuring teams from France and England. The World Cup is coming. No injuries please! It's the last match of the European club season -- and World Cup coaches will be watching on with a mixture of intrigue and nervousness. The World Cup begins in 12 days, and the squads of both PSG and Arsenal are bulging with players heading to the tournament being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Any injuries sustained in the final could be devastating so close to the big kickoff. Arsenal has "taste" for trophies now Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says winning the Premier League has whetted the players' appetite for more trophies. Nothing comes bigger than the Champions League. "The ambition is bigger," Arteta said in his pre-match news conference. "We have one, and we want the second one ... there has to be a platform to reach bigger destinations." Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard was the first player in the squad to get his hands on the Premier League trophy, and he liked it. "When you get the taste of winning and lifting a trophy," Odegaard says, "you know how nice it feels. And we want to do it again." Dembl, Dou, Saka ... a bunch of the world's best players are on show Many of soccer's superstar players will be taking the field at Puskas Arena -- not least PSG forward Ousmane Dembl, the most recent world player of the year. Dsir Dou, the 20-year-old forward who lit up last year's final with two goals in the record 5-0 win over Inter Milan, is still a shining light for PSG along with Georgia winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and three of Cristiano Ronaldo's top teammates with Portugal -- Vitinha, Nuno Mendes and Joao Neves. Arsenal has England stars Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice in midfield and the striker who has just sent Sweden to the World Cup -- Viktor Gykeres. Fans brawl in central Budapest Groups of fans got physical late Friday in Budapest's frequented party area, leading police to launch an investigation over disorderly conduct. Videos on social media showed several dozen people throwing punches and kicks, driving another group down Kirly street in the capital's District 7. One fan held a burning red flare before throwing it toward the other group, which was retreating down the street. Budapest police said in a statement that the violence erupted shortly after midnight, and that it was using surveillance footage to try to identify participants. __ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer |
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