Mikel Arteta faces key decisions with SEVEN definite Arsenal starters to take on PSG

Arsenal face Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest on Saturday as they look to win the UEFA Champions League for the first time

Mikel Arteta faces THREE key team selections ahead of the Champions League final.

The Arsenal boss must decide on who plays right back, who will be in midfield and then whether to pick Kai Havertz or Viktor Gyokeres up front. Those decisions may ultimately decide on whether Arsenal can overcome the might of Paris Saint Germain in the Puskas Arena.

But the dilemmas may also be Arsenal’s trump card - because the reality is Luis Enrique genuinely will not know who or what to prepare for. And that X factor and sense of uncertainty may give Arsenal an edge that Bayern Munich did not have in the semi-final because Vincent Kompany’s team was locked in.

The dilemma starts at right back because Ben White is out, Jurrien Timber has not played since mid-March and Cristhian Mosquera is a centre back playing out of position.

Mosquera is a good player, good defender but he is nowhere near as good on the ball as Timber and the right back will be up against arguably PSG's biggest threat: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Georgia winger Kvaratskhelia, with his socks rolled down his ankles and wonderful dribbling style, has been the star of this season’s run to the final for the holders. Kvaratskhelia will take some stopping and Timber is best equipped but it is whether Arteta will take the risk. And the reality is he will not take a risk - if it is a risk he will not play.

But Timber has trained fully this week, is back with the team and he also wants to play because he is in the Holland squad for the World Cup, too.

Timber is a gamble - but might get the shout. Curiously, the right back may affect the left back selection. If Mosquera plays then Riccardo Calafiori may be seen as having licence to push into midfield and invert while if Timber plays then maybe Piero Hincapie gets the nod. Just a theory.

The other big shout is in midfield. Martin Odegaard is captain and will surely lead the team but it is all about the third member of the midfield.

Declan Rice has played a staggering 4,336 minutes of football this season - the most of any outfield player in the two line-ups - but he is Arsenal’s Duracell bunny.

Martin Zubimendi is the obvious choice as a Spain international but Myles Lewis-Skelly might actually be the players who gets the nod.

Freshness may also be a factor as Lewis-Skelly is fresh and in form. Incredibly, PSG’s starting XI have a total of 38 GAMES FEWER in their legs than Arsenal's predicted XI - (332 games vs 370 games) - and that's an entire Premier League season.

Lewis-Skelly was outstanding in the second leg of the semi final with Atletico Madrid, proved he can play on the big stage and also is a more defensive-minded option in the way that he is likely to get in among the PSG midfield to disrupt them.

That will be key to victory: the midfield battle. If you stop Vitinha, Joao Neves and Fabian Ruiz then you stop PSG. The key is to stop PSG breaking and launching counter attacks from Arsenal’s own attacks.

PSG are sensational at doing that. Odegaard may get the nod and also if you look at the big European games, Arteta puts his trust in Leandro Trossard which means Eberechi Eze may be on the bench.

The other factor is Kai Havertz and his experience, quality and ability to hold the ball up will surely mean that he may get the nod over Gyokeres. You have to hold the ball up in this game. Gyokeres has had a mixed season, has been better lately and has been excellent when coming on to really chase down tired defenders and see the game out.

That is why I think this will be Arteta’s starting XI (with a few caveats along the way):

Predicted Arsenal Lineup: David Raya; Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel, Piero Hincapie; Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly; Bukayo Saka, Martin Ödegaard, Leandro Trossard; Kai Havertz