Luis Enrique praises Arsenal and Arteta to the skies before the Champions League final

Before the showdown in Budapest, manager Luis Enrique gave extremely high praise to Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, also stating that PSG and the Gunners possess numerous parallels in their footballing ideology.

Arsenal will enter the Champions League final against PSG in Budapest amid an atmosphere of great anticipation, having successively overcome strong opponents to reach the season's final match. Their opponent is the reigning champions PSG under Luis Enrique.

Before the highly anticipated battle at 23:00 on May 30 (Vietnam time), Enrique himself drew attention by showering the English representative with a series of compliments. The Spanish tactician not only praised Arsenal's collective strength but also described Mikel Arteta's team as one of the most complete models in Europe today. Notably, he emphasized that the two clubs share a similar football philosophy ahead of their showdown in Budapest.

"The two teams are not opposites. Arsenal is a team built in the image and identity of Mikel Arteta. He clearly started with Pep Guardiola's philosophy, based on ball possession. They are extremely competitive, which clearly reflects Mikel's character," Enrique stated to European media when discussing PSG's opponent in the Champions League final.

Not stopping there, the PSG coach was particularly impressed with the balance in Arsenal's operation. According to Enrique, the most frightening aspect of the Gunners lies in their independence from any individual, while maintaining remarkable stability over several consecutive seasons in both attack and defense.

"They are the best defensive team in Europe and have maintained that for several years. It's an explosive combination. They don't rely on any single player. Arsenal scores many goals from set pieces and possesses a balance between solid defense and a high scoring rate," Enrique emphasized.

The head-to-head history between the two teams also shows notable balance before the final.After seven meetings, Arsenal and PSG each have two wins, with three draws. Although Arsenal beat PSG 2-0 in the 2024/25 League Phase, the French side eliminated the Gunners in last season's Champions League semifinals with a 3-1 aggregate score, before crushing Inter Milan 5-0 to win their first European title.

Besides praising Arsenal highly, Enrique also affirmed that PSG and Arteta's team share many common points in their approach to matches."We are similar in that, like Arsenal, we always try to maximize our strengths and abilities. To do that, we need to control the ball and express ourselves on the pitch," the Spanish strategist stated ahead of the final taking place at 23:00 on May 30.