William Saliba Backs Arsenal’s Defence to Contain PSG Attack Ahead of Champions League Final in Budapest

William Saliba has issued a bold assessment of Arsenal’s defensive capabilities ahead of their Champions League final meeting with Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest, insisting that Luis Enrique’s forward line — however formidable — will not overpower Mikel Arteta’s backline.

The statement arrives at a significant moment for the club. Arsenal have just clinched their first Premier League title in 22 years, ending a sustained period of near-misses that included three consecutive runners-up finishes in the seasons immediately prior. The Gunners are set to be officially crowned champions when they face Crystal Palace, with the Budapest final against PSG to follow the week after.

Saliba, speaking to The Standard, did not shy away from acknowledging PSG’s attacking threat — a unit featuring Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia among its key contributors. Nevertheless, the French international remained resolute in his belief that Arsenal are equipped to handle the challenge.

“They were scary last year, and they’re still scary this year. So nothing has changed,” Saliba said of PSG. “We know that if we want to beat them, we have to be 100%. We have the best defence this season. And when you are the best, you want to play the best, so we are so happy to have attackers like this to play against us next Saturday, and I hope we will win that battle.”

For Saliba, winning the league title is a personal milestone, but he has made clear it will not be the ceiling of his ambitions this season. The defender, who has been a consistent presence at the heart of Arsenal’s defensive structure throughout the campaign, is openly targeting a league and European Cup double.

“It would mean a lot,” he said. “Now we have started with the Premier League, it is my first one, so I am happy. But I am not full. I want more. And there is a big chance next week in the Champions League, so we have to give everything.”

Saliba also reflected candidly on the weight of the previous near-misses, suggesting the repeated disappointment of finishing second sharpened the squad’s resolve. “I knew it would be hard to win the Premier League, but of course, for three years we finished second, and it was hard because those first two years we deserved to win the Premier League,” he explained. “Finally, we won the league, and we have to go again next season.”

Arsenal’s defensive record has been a defining feature of their Premier League title campaign, and Saliba’s comments position that unit as a genuine match for PSG’s attacking options in Europe’s premier club competition. PSG, managed by Luis Enrique, have been among the most dangerous attacking sides in the Champions League this season, with Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia — the Georgian winger who joined from Napoli in January 2025 — both posing significant threats in transition and in tight spaces.

Should Arsenal win the Champions League final, it would represent the club’s second European Cup triumph and their first since 1994, when they won the Cup Winners’ Cup. A double in the same season would also be unprecedented in the club’s history, adding further context to the scale of the occasion Saliba and his teammates are preparing for in Budapest.