Arsenal vs PSG simulated as EA FC 26 predicts set-piece drama | Gaming | Entertainment

The Champions League Final is where footballing legends are made, etching their names into the history books. The likes of Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi and Steven Gerrard are all synonymous with standout performances that led their teams to claim the greatest prize in European football.

But trying to predict who could be this year’s big hero is no easy feat. Arsenal – the newly crowned Premier League champions – are chasing an historic double, but their opponents could be beginning a dominant dynasty. PSG are the current European champions and aim to stay that way by the time the full-time whistle blows at the Puskas Arena.

Set for a 5pm kick-off in Budapest, this year’s final is waiting for a superstar to stake their claim as a football legend. Both sides will be looking to their talismanic attackers to deliver the goods

Could it be Bukayo Saka’s time to finally confirm his status as a world-class talent? Or will current Balon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele further cement his place as one of the best in the world right now?

It’s hard to tell – so we’ve enlisted the help of EA Sports FC 26 to simulate the biggest match of the season.

Arsenal vs PSG simulated by EA FC 26 – the line-ups

Ahead of kick-off, we loaded the latest squads up and ensured accurate starting XIs for both sides. Arsenal went with their usual 4-2-3-1 set-up while PSG countered with their terrifying frontline of Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in a 4-3-3.

Arsenal’s starting line-up was: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Zubimendi; Saka, Odegaard, Trossard, Gyokeres.

PSG began the match as follows: Safonov; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Joao Neves; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia.

A tactical stalemate

The worrying recent trend of ‘boring’ finals however continued despite the star-studded teams. EA FC 26 predicted a tense battle of tactical wills, whereby just one shot was fired throughout the 90 minutes, reports The Mirror.

The sole effort materialised in the form of a speculative long-range strike from Jurrien Timber, which squandered possession. Arsenal held the upper hand for the majority of proceedings, enjoying 60 per cent of possession, but were incapable of fashioning much by way of a threat to the PSG goal.

Both teams performed dismally in the final third, and it required 100 minutes of tedious football for the contest to ignite.

Late drama and an unlikely set-piece hero

As the extra time break approached, Gabriel Martinelli spurned a glorious chance to give Arsenal the lead. Just moments later, David Raya denied Dembele from point-blank range.

Much has been made of Arsenal’s prowess from free-kicks and corners, and indeed it was a dead ball situation that decided this tie.

However, Mikel Arteta will be tearing his hair out if the prediction comes true in Budapest.

Despite being significantly shorter than Arsenal centre-halves William Saliba and Gabriel, 5ft9in Joao Neves rose to meet Demeble’s corner kick and powered his header beyond a despairing Raya. It proved costly.

Arsenal threw everything at the French champions but found no killer ball, no final product, and PSG secured back-to-back Champions League titles. Could this be the start of a new era of dominance for PSG?

While EA FC 26 predicts a tactical chess match decided in the end by a single set-piece, Arsenal fans will be praying that the real world result is much kinder in their favour.