PSG's Champions League Final Squad: Hakimi and Dembele Return

Paris Saint-Germain will travel to the Champions League final at full throttle. Achraf Hakimi and Ousmane Dembele, both serious doubts in the build-up, have been named in Luis Enrique’s squad to face Arsenal on Saturday.

For Arsenal, fresh from lifting the Premier League trophy, it is the news they did not want.

Hakimi back for another shot at history

Hakimi has not played since pulling up with a hamstring injury in the first leg of the semi-final against Bayern Munich. His recovery has been watched closely in Paris, not just because of his quality, but because of his history on this stage.

Last season, in the same showpiece, he set the tone. The full-back scored the opening goal as PSG demolished Inter Milan 5-0 to finally get their hands on the trophy. He is not just a defender in this team; he is a weapon.

His inclusion in the travelling party strongly points to involvement of some kind. Even if he does not start, the very threat of Hakimi’s pace and timing on the overlap changes the way opponents think. Arsenal’s wide players and full-backs will know exactly what that means.

Dembele’s situation has been similar. He picked up a problem in PSG’s final Ligue 1 outing of the season against Paris FC and had been rated a major doubt. Yet he, too, boards the plane. For Luis Enrique, it is a double boost on the eve of the biggest game of the campaign.

Arsenal’s own boost – and a reminder

The holders are not the only ones welcoming back a key full-back.

Arsenal have included Jurrien Timber in their squad for the trip to Hungary after the Dutchman returned to training this week. He has been sidelined since March with a hamstring injury suffered against Everton, a setback that forced him to miss 14 matches across all competitions.

His return adds depth and versatility to a defence that has carried the club through a title-winning domestic season and now stands one game away from a European crown. Arsenal arrive as champions of England, but in Europe they are still chasing the side that stopped them last year.

Because this is a rematch of sorts. PSG knocked Arsenal out at the semi-final stage of this competition last season, winning 3-1 on aggregate. Fabian Ruiz and Hakimi struck in the second leg to crush Arsenal’s hopes and send the French champions through. That memory will not have faded in north London.

Barcola’s message: this is about the collective

Inside the PSG camp, the mood is confident, bordering on ruthless.

Bradley Barcola, preparing for his second straight Champions League final, did not bother with understatement when he spoke to the club’s media.

“It’s a great honour to be playing in a second final,” the winger said. “We’re going to do everything we can to win it. We’re trying to build as much confidence as possible ahead of this final, and we’re going to work hard to make sure we’re ready.

“I really think it’s our collective strength. The fact that we play together, attack together and defend together. We really play as a team, and that’s our greatest strength right now.”

It is a message aimed as much at Arsenal as it is at his own dressing room. PSG are not framing this as a battle of individuals, but as a test of structure, cohesion and mentality. Arsenal, who have thrived this year on their own collective edge, will recognise the challenge.

The champions’ armoury

Luis Enrique’s squad for the final underlines the depth at his disposal.

In goal, Chevalier, Safonov and Renato Marin provide options and security. At the back, the returning Hakimi joins Beraldo, Marquinhos, Zabarnyi, L. Hernandez, Nuno Mendes and Pacho – a blend of experience, aggression and technical quality that has underpinned their European run.

Midfield offers no respite. Fabian, Vitinha, Mayulu, Dro, Zaire-Emery and Joao Neves give PSG a mix of control, legs and invention. It is a group built to dominate the ball but also to hunt it back in packs when it is lost.

Across the pitch, it feels like a squad assembled not just to win one final, but to build an era. Arsenal’s task is to interrupt that plan.

A final with layers

For PSG, this is about defending their crown and proving last year was not a one-off. For Arsenal, kick-off at 5pm brings a shot at a historic double: Premier League and Champions League in the same season.

They travel with momentum, belief and their own returning defender. PSG travel with the trophy, the scars they inflicted on Arsenal last year, and now, crucially, Hakimi and Dembele back in the fold.

One side wants revenge. The other wants confirmation of supremacy.

Ninety minutes in Hungary will decide which story survives.