🚨 Dembélé and Hakimi Both Included in PSG Squad for Arsenal UCL Final Despite Fitness Scares
Paris Saint-Germain have named Ousmane Dembélé and Achraf Hakimi in their squad for the UEFA Champions League final against Arsenal — and for Luis Enrique, that single team-sheet decision might matter more than any tactical tweak he makes between now and kick-off. Both players carried physical problems into the closing weeks of the season. Both are now available for the biggest game of PSG's year.
PSG Squad vs Arsenal — Quick Answer
Ousmane Dembélé and Achraf Hakimi are both included in PSG's squad for the Champions League final against Arsenal, despite recent fitness concerns. Luis Enrique can now plan with his two most influential wide operators available for the showpiece in Munich. Final confirmation of the starting XI will come closer to kick-off, but neither player has been left out of the travelling group.
What We Know
PSG's published squad list for the Arsenal final includes Dembélé and Hakimi — full stop. That ends days of uncertainty around two players who had been managing physical problems in the run-in. The club have not released detailed medical bulletins, which is standard this close to a final, but inclusion on the official squad is the clearest signal Enrique could send: he believes both are fit enough to contribute.
Dembélé's issue had been framed as a muscular concern after he was withdrawn or rested in recent weeks. Hakimi's problem looked more like a workload issue — the kind that accumulates across a season when a right-back plays almost every minute PSG need him. Neither situation appeared catastrophic from the outside, but in a one-off final, "manageable" and "match-ready" are not the same thing.
What we do not know yet is whether either man starts. Squad inclusion guarantees availability, not selection. Enrique has rotated his front three and full-back pairing all season, and a late fitness test on matchday morning remains possible even after a positive squad announcement.
Why It Matters for PSG
Strip PSG down to their essentials this season and you arrive quickly at width — Dembélé on one side, Hakimi overlapping on the other. Dembélé is not merely a goal threat; he is the player who destabilises compact blocks with sudden acceleration and unselfish final balls. Hakimi is the outlet that turns defensive transitions into 3v2 advantages within five seconds. Lose either and PSG's entire vertical rhythm changes.
Enrique built this team to press in coordinated waves and attack the half-spaces before Arsenal can settle into their mid-block. That plan assumes Hakimi can join the last line of the press without leaving a permanent hole behind him, and that Dembélé can pin Arsenal's full-backs deep enough to open central corridors for Vitinha and the midfield runners. Without both, PSG revert to a narrower, more predictable shape — still dangerous, but easier to map.
The emotional layer matters too. Dembélé has waited years for a Champions League final stage that matches his talent. Hakimi left Real Madrid's shadow to become the definitive modern full-back at the Parc des Princes. Missing this night through a fitness call would have been cruel. Their presence in the squad keeps PSG's strongest identity intact.
Tactical Impact — How Arsenal Must Respond
Mikel Arteta's preparation shifts the moment Hakimi and Dembélé are confirmed available. Arsenal's plan against PSG without Hakimi might lean on Bukayo Saka or another wide forward isolating a replacement full-back. With Hakimi fit, that duel becomes a genuine 50-50 — pace against pace, with the Moroccan rarely shy about recovering inside.
Dembélé forces a similar recalculation on the opposite flank. Arsenal have defended excellently in Europe this season, but Dembélé at full throttle asks questions no training-ground drill fully replicates: when to show him inside, when to step off, when to accept a foul rather than let him run. Gabriel and William Saliba are among Europe's best centre-back pairings, yet even they will need help from the midfield screen whenever Dembélé drifts centrally.
If either player starts on a minutes restriction — a realistic scenario given recent problems — Arteta may probe that side aggressively in the opening twenty minutes. Enrique's counter-move would be early rotation or a tactical switch to protect a limping wide player. That chess match starts now, not at the referee's first whistle.
What Happens Next
PSG travel with a near-full squad, and the narrative around this final narrows accordingly. No more "will they be fit?" headlines — only "will they start?" and "can Arsenal cope if they do?" Enrique's pre-match press conference will be parsed line by line for any hint of doubt, but squad inclusion is the headline that travels furthest tonight.
For supporters, the takeaway is straightforward: PSG arrive in Munich with the weapons they built the season around. they must prepare for the best version of Enrique's team — not a patched-up alternative. The Champions League final rarely forgives teams that plan for the wrong opponent.
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