Top News

Arsenal might be hoping for a touch of luck as they prepare for only their second-ever appearance in a Champions League final.

The Gunners are set to face the reigning champions in Europe’s most prestigious club fixture this weekend in Budapest, Hungary, as they aim to lift the Champions League trophy for the very first time in their history.

This marks Arsenal’s first Champions League final in two decades, their previous outing coming 20 years ago in a dramatic loss to Barcelona. That encounter, memorably held in Paris, was filled with controversy when Jens Lehmann was sent off in the opening half, leaving Arsene Wenger’s men to battle against a formidable Barcelona side featuring Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o, and Ludovic Giuly.

Despite taking the lead through a Sol Campbell header before half-time, Arsenal could not maintain their advantage, eventually succumbing to late strikes from Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti.

As Arsenal aim to avoid a repeat of that heartbreak on Saturday, they will be greeted by a familiar referee in the middle — Daniel Siebert — as they chase an unprecedented Premier League and Champions League double.

UEFA has confirmed that the German official will take charge of the final. His assistants will be Jan Seidel and Rafael Foltyn, while Swiss referee Sandro Schärer will serve as the fourth official on the sidelines.

In the VAR room, German duo Bastian Dankert and Robert Schröder will oversee video operations.

The 42-year-old Siebert is no stranger to elite-level fixtures, having officiated two matches at Euro 2024 and three at Euro 2020. However, this will be his first time refereeing a UEFA competition final.

Interestingly, Siebert has already been in charge of two Arsenal matches during this season’s Champions League campaign.

Arsenal fans might take comfort in the fact that they have emerged victorious in all three previous fixtures officiated by the German referee. Those include the semi-final second leg win against Atletico Madrid and the quarter-final first leg triumph in Lisbon.

Paris Saint-Germain, however, also hold an impressive record under Siebert’s supervision, winning three of their four matches with him as referee.

That said, PSG were held to a goalless draw by Athletic Club during the league phase earlier this season — the only Champions League fixture this term in which Siebert took charge of the French side.