Arsenal have already shown they can reach the final, but the bigger question now concerns whether Mikel Arteta can take the last step. Last season, his side lifted the Premier League title with 85 points, seven clear of Manchester City, then pushed Paris Saint-Germain all the way in Budapest before losing 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. They also started the new Champions League campaign with a 1-0 win at Napoli. Those results matter because they show a team that has learned to live with pressure rather than merely survive it.
Why does Arsenal now have the defensive platform for a Champions League win?
The clearest reason sits at the back. William Saliba and Gabriel give Arteta two centre-backs who can defend large spaces, attack crosses and handle direct duels without constantly retreating into their own box. That balance lets Arsenal keep a higher defensive line while the midfield squeezes the area around the ball.
David Raya adds another factor. The Spanish goalkeeper takes crosses confidently, starts attacks with his passing and can rescue a match when an opponent finally breaks through the first press. In September’s win at Sunderland, he saved a penalty in a 2-0 victory, a small detail that says plenty about the margins Arsenal now control.
The structure shifts depending on the situation. Ben White, Jurriën Timber, Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera give Arteta several ways to rebuild the back four without abandoning his basic principles. When Arsenal lose the ball, the nearest players can press immediately; when that press fails, the defenders have the pace and positioning to protect Raya.
That defensive consistency gives Arsenal something precious in two-legged ties: a poor spell does not automatically become a collapse. Arteta can protect a lead by dropping the midfield block, then raise the line again once his players regain control. Saliba’s recovery pace helps, while Gabriel attacks the first ball with aggression. Raya’s distribution can then turn a defensive clearance into the start of another attack.
That matters enormously in Europe. Knockout matches often turn on one bad clearance, one late runner or one cross that nobody deals with. Arsenal reached the 2026 final after keeping Sporting Lisbon scoreless across the second leg of the quarter-final and then beating Atlético Madrid 1-0 in the semi-final second leg. They conceded just once across that semi-final tie. That record points to control rather than luck.
Why can Arsenal create goals without becoming predictable?
Last season showed that Arteta no longer needs one scorer to carry every big night. Viktor Gyökeres gives Arsenal a central striker who can threaten the space behind defenders, attack the box and stretch a back line through sheer movement. Yet the attack changes shape around him.
Bukayo Saka remains the chief threat from the right, while Eberechi Eze gives Arteta another player who can carry the ball, combine between the lines and create from central areas. Martin Ødegaard brings calm passing and timing, Declan Rice can arrive late from midfield, and Noni Madueke offers direct running when Arsenal need to attack a tired full-back.
There is a second route, too. Set pieces remain a major part of Arteta’s attacking plan, which becomes especially valuable when an elite opponent blocks open play. Arsenal can win through a sweeping move, a turnover, a late midfielder, a wide one-versus-one or a dead-ball routine. That variety forces opponents to defend several different problems at once.
The Napoli win offered a useful early example. Arsenal dominated possession and chances but needed Ødegaard’s 75th-minute strike to settle the game. That might sound like a warning about finishing, yet it says something encouraging as well: they could spend long periods controlling a hostile away match and wait for the decisive opening instead of forcing reckless attacks.
Has Arsenal finally gained the squad depth and experience needed in Europe?
This may prove the decisive factor. Arteta’s group now carries the memory of a league title and a Champions League final, so the players have already experienced the emotional extremes that can wreck a campaign. They know what a semi-final feels like. They know what a final feels like. Most importantly, they know how thin the margin can become.
The squad itself gives Arteta more answers. Zubimendi, Rice and Ødegaard form a midfield core with different strengths, while Eze, Havertz, Madueke, Saka allow the manager to change the attacking profile without tearing up the plan. At the back, Timber, Hincapie, White, Calafiori and Mosquera give him competition for places.
That depth matters across the Champions League calendar, especially with Arsenal facing Lille, Bayern Munich, Slavia Prague, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Real Betis and Sabah in the league phase. The schedule contains awkward away nights and heavyweight home fixtures, so fatigue will test every manager. Arteta now has enough quality to rotate without making his side unrecognisable.
Then comes the psychological edge. Arsenal lost the 2026 final on penalties, but they did so after reaching the biggest match for the first time since 2006 and after winning their first league title in 22 years. The defeat hurt, yet it removed a fear that had lingered over the club: the suspicion that Arsenal would fold when the stakes peaked.
Now the benchmark has changed. Arteta has built a team that can defend without panic, attack through several channels and handle the tension of elite knockout football. They have already beaten Napoli away in this season’s competition, and a deep run would surprise few. The final step remains brutal, because Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain can punish tiny errors, but Arsenal enter this campaign with fewer unanswered questions.
For Arteta, that makes the Champions League feel less like an impossible prize and more like the next examination of a side that has already proved it belongs at the top table. Arsenal are close enough now that the difference between glory and heartbreak could come down to one finishing touch, one save, or one perfectly defended corner.
