Declan Rice v Vitinha, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia v Cristhian Mosquera or Jurrien Timber - The key battles that will decide the UEFA Champions League final

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Premier League champions Arsenal will aim to climb over the ultimate hurdle on Saturday as they take on holders Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final.

Enrique warns Arsenal that PSG can do ‘more things than last year’ ahead of final

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The Gunners are back in the final for the first time in 20 years and will be desperate to lift the title for the first time, crowning a season for the ages.
For their part, PSG are aiming to become just the second team to retain Europe's top prize since it became the Champions League in the 1992-93 season.
The final, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max, promises to be a fascinating tactical battle between two of the best coaches in football, and, arguably, the two best teams in the world.
Both Luis Enrique and Mikel Arteta are head coaches who preach the value of the system rather than any individuals.
But, across the pitch on Saturday, it's impossible to ignore the one v one duels that will be taking place.
Let's run through where the game will be won and lost and make sure to cast your vote on who is going to come out on top in each battle.

Declan Rice v Vitinha

It simply does not get any bigger than this. Along with the Spanish duo of Pedri and Rodri, these are the best midfielders in the world and have been influential in their teams' transformations over the past couple of seasons.
If everything goes right for them in the next six to eight weeks, we could even be talking about them as potential Ballon d'Or winners.
Both players will sit towards the base of their teams and, while Declan Rice will get a little further forward at times, they are tasked with putting out fires before they happen and putting their team-mates in the best possible positions to succeed.
It will be interesting to see how much they directly engage with each other but both Enrique and Arteta will be spending time working out how they can stop the opposing midfielder from taking over the game.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia v Cristhian Mosquera or Jurrien Timber

The one player that Arteta will be spending more time than any working on is undoubtedly Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. We've previously talked about the way he comes alive when the lights are brightest and there are none brighter than the Champions League final.
The winger scored three times against Chelsea with an assist, bagged a goal and assist against Liverpool, and added two further goals plus an additional assist in the semi-final against Bayern Munich. He is the biggest threat for Arteta to worry about.
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Kvaratskhelia is the best winger in the world - Gerrard

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Ben White has been ruled out, but Arteta has a decision to make after Jurrien Timber was declared fit to start in a major boost for the newly crowned Premier League champions.
The Netherlands international hasn't featured since a 2-0 victory over Everton in March, missing 14 games with a troublesome groin injury.
But Arteta has revealed he can call upon Timber from the off at the Puskas Arena - meaning he must decide on whether he feels the 24-year-old can cope with being thrown straight back into the physical demands of coping with one of the world's most dangerous wingers.
Cristhian Mosquera has been filling in after shuffling out to right-back. Mosquera has performed admirably in his debut season in England but going against Kvaratskhelia is a different proposition entirely.
Whoever gets the nod, keeping the Georgian quiet will be critical to Arsenal's success.

Bukayo Saka v Nuno Mendes

While that battle is going on, another - perhaps fairer - match-up will be taking place as Bukayo Saka and Nuno Mendes do battle.
Mendes was arguably the best left-back in the world last season as PSG took home their maiden Champions League title, but he has struggled a little more this season. It feels as if Mendes' defensive flaws have been more exposed and that opens the door for Saka, Arsenal's second-highest scorer this season in all competitions.
No Arsenal fan would say this has been Saka's best season - even he would not - but he, like most of the team's attackers, has shown up in big moments. This is the problem for Mendes - he only has to switch off once for Saka to punish him.
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'I haven't been at my best level' - Saka admits he struggled this season despite Arsenal title win

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And the other problem he has is that, compared to other wingers, Saka will work a lot harder at keeping Mendes in check when he goes forward. In many ways, this will be one of the toughest tests Mendes has faced all season, and how he comes out of it will be fascinating.

Ousmane Dembele v Gabriel and William Saliba

Gabriel and William Saliba are one of the best central defensive pairings in the world right now. They have shown that time and time again this season. In so many ways, they are exactly what you want from your centre-backs.
But what happens when they go up against one of the most unorthodox strikers in the world? The move that saw Ousmane Dembele become a central striker last season was a masterstroke and, although the reigning Ballon d'Or holder has struggled with injuries this season, he, like his team-mates, has still delivered when it matters.
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'Most two-footed player in the world' - Hargreaves on 'elite' Dembele

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Dembele has five goals across his past three Champions League matches and what makes him so dangerous is precisely that he is unorthodox. He will drift deep, he will drift wide - and he will pop up in places you don't expect.
So then you try and alter your game plan and, before you know it, he's scored and it's an entirely conventional goal. We cannot wait to see how this one unfolds.

Luis Enrique v Mikel Arteta

Perhaps a bit of a cheat but we couldn't leave the coaches out of this one. One's high-octane possession football, the other is slow with his control, weaponising set-pieces in a way no team does.
Just as Arteta is more than his substance, Enrique is more than his style. Both think about the game deeply and have regularly demonstrated the creativity and problem-solving that has taken them to the top of their profession.
If you're not excited to watch this one, then we cannot help you. One last vote, who's going to win the match?

How to watch the UEFA Champions League final

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