Safonov Starts as Psg Vs Arsenal Final Opens in Budapest
Matvey Safonov will start for PSG in PSG vs Arsenal, and the 2025/26 Champions League final in Budapest now carries a historic Russian first. The match at the Puskas Arena begins at 19:00 Moscow time, with Safonov becoming the first Russian to appear in a Champions League final starting lineup.
PSG at Puskas Arena
PSG’s lineup pairs Safonov with Nuno Mendes, William Pacho, Marquinhos, Achraf Hakimi, Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele and Doue. That group gives PSG the same core that carried them to the 2024/25 Champions League title, with Kvaratskhelia also in the starting XI for the final.
The French club enters this final as the defending champion from the 2024/25 season. Safonov’s place in the side is the clearest change in focus, because his start puts him in a position no Russian has reached before on this stage.
Arsenal's 20-year wait
Arsenal line up with Raya, Incapie, Gabriel, Saliba, Mosquera, Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Odegaard, Trossard, Havertz and Saka. Their return to a Champions League final comes after a 20-year wait, giving the match a rare final pairing that places a titleholder against a club trying to end a long absence from the last game of the competition.
Those lineups set the match before kickoff, and they leave one clear detail for viewers following the final in real time: Safonov is not just in the squad, he is starting in a Champions League final for PSG, while Arsenal arrive with a first final in two decades and the chance to stop the holders in Budapest.
