Paris Saint-Germain will once again face English opposition as they look to defend their European crown in Budapest on Saturday. The French champions are preparing for their second successive appearance in the UEFA Champions League final and have grown familiar with overcoming Premier League sides on their way to the showpiece event.

Under the guidance of Luis Enrique, PSG eliminated Arsenal in last year's semi-final. However, the Gunners—now Premier League champions themselves—stand in the way of the Parisians’ hopes of securing back-to-back Champions League titles in Hungary.

Attacking full-back Achraf Hakimi has been a vital figure in PSG’s recent success. The 27-year-old netted the final goal in last season’s semi-final victory over Arsenal and opened the scoring in PSG’s dominant final win against Inter Milan. His pace and attacking instinct have been instrumental in shaping the club’s European journey.

Both PSG and Morocco national team manager Mohamed Ouahbi have been monitoring the progress of the Moroccan captain closely. Hakimi has been sidelined with a hamstring injury, with both the Champions League final and the 2026 World Cup approaching quickly.

The right-back sustained his injury during the first leg of PSG’s dramatic semi-final clash against Bayern Munich. He missed the return leg as well as the team’s final four Ligue 1 fixtures as he continued his recovery.

Encouragingly for PSG fans, the latest update ahead of the Champions League final against Arsenal at the Puskas Arena suggests positive news.

According to reports from AS, “Although PSG haven’t confirmed that Hakimi will definitely be fit to play, he resumed group training on Tuesday and has been named in the squad for the game.”

The report added, “Hakimi’s presence would be a huge boost for PSG, given his influence at both ends of the pitch. Though listed as a full-back, the Madrid-born player provides a significant attacking outlet for Luis Enrique’s side, often appearing in advanced positions few other right-backs would dare to explore.”

Having missed three of the final four group stage matches earlier in the campaign, Hakimi featured in all of PSG’s knockout fixtures before the thrilling 5-4 encounter at the Allianz Arena last month.

Meanwhile, winger Ousmane Dembele is also expected to be fit after recovering from a minor injury ahead of the final. Notably, this year’s Champions League final will not be broadcast free-to-air in the United Kingdom for the first time since the competition’s rebranding in 1992.

TNT Sports commented on the broadcast arrangements, stating, “We have made all three UEFA finals this year available from just £4.99, the price of a month-long subscription to HBO Max, which also includes a great entertainment line-up. This represents outstanding value for supporters looking to enjoy the conclusion of the competitions.”