For Arteta, it did not enter his mind to not play Kepa in the final. "And I think we have an understanding keeper in Kepa - he's played all the competition and I think it would have been very, very unfair for him and for the team to do something different." "I would never have started Kepa today," European football expert Julien Laurens told BBC Radio 5 Live. "Mikel Arteta did not have to play him," former England and Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart told BBC Sport. So he's played Kepa because he believes he's ready.

Source: BBC March 22, 2026 22:20 UTC