Arsenal have received a stern warning from Patrice Evra, who believes that Paris Saint-Germain will “destroy” them in the Champions League final if they fail to “play better football”. The French side, who thrashed Inter in 2025, could reportedly score five goals again if they face a similar level of opposition. With Arsenal newly crowned as Premier League champions, Mikel Arteta’s men are now set for one of the toughest European challenges in Budapest.

This marks Arsenal’s first Champions League final appearance since 2006, and Arteta’s players are eager to make history by lifting the prestigious European Cup on Hungarian soil. The Gunners have gone unbeaten in their journey to this stage, but PSG are determined to spoil their celebrations.

The Parisian giants are chasing back-to-back Champions League titles, aiming to emulate Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid side from 2015 to 2018, who became the only team in the modern era to successfully defend the trophy.

PSG boast a frightening attacking trio in Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Arsenal, who conceded only 27 goals in the 2025-26 Premier League season, will need their defensive unit to be at its best to stand a chance of securing a famous double.

Patrice Evra, who featured in three Champions League finals between 2008 and 2011 with Manchester United—winning one and losing two—understands the difficulty of triumphing at this level, having faced Lionel Messi’s Barcelona in two of those encounters.

When asked whether Arsenal are strong enough to contain PSG, Evra expressed his doubts. Speaking to GOAL in association with Stake, the former France international said: “No, no, no, no, maybe, maybe I spoke too early, but this time it’s not about Arsenal, it’s about PSG.

“I think PSG are dominating the world of football, and I hope Arsenal play with openness. If they decide to park the bus as they’ve done before, PSG will score five goals against them just like they did to Inter in the final. I was shocked because Inter are masters of Catenaccio—Italians are taught that system from birth.”

Evra continued: “If PSG have all their players fit—if Ousmane Dembele and others are ready—they will destroy Arsenal. But we never know. Arsenal have already won the Premier League, and for their fans, winning the Champions League would be a bonus. I don’t think they will be disappointed if they lose, because the league title was their main goal. After 22 years, that’s their biggest achievement. Winning the Champions League would just be the cherry on top.”

Discussing PSG’s form, he added: “Looking at PSG’s semi-final against Bayern Munich and comparing it with Arsenal’s semi-final against Atletico, it’s clear PSG play on another level. But it’s just one game, anything can happen in a final. Still, based on their style and how they beat Inter, if Arteta doesn’t have a plan for better football, Arsenal will have no chance. If they sit back, they’ll lose.”

Evra concluded: “My favourite to win, with all respect and love for Arsenal, is PSG. But again, PSG recently lost the Club World Cup final to Chelsea, so as I always say, in one game, anything can happen.”

Arsenal’s recent meetings with PSG have been mixed. They were eliminated by the French side in last season’s semi-finals, losing 3-1 on aggregate over two legs. However, they did manage to beat Luis Enrique’s team 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium during the league phase of the competition.

That result shows that Arteta is capable of formulating a winning strategy against the toughest opponents. The challenge for him now is to find another plan that keeps Dembele and his teammates quiet while allowing Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard to flourish in attack.