Martin Keown believes Rice must deliver a near-perfect performance if they want to compete for the Champions League title.

The UEFA Champions League final will be held at the Puskás Arena, where Premier League champions Arsenal will face French giants Paris Saint-Germain for the title. Former Premier League player Martin Keown stated that England star Condoleezza Rice possesses exceptional ability, but must perform at his best to compete with his rivals.

In the 2025/26 season, 27-year-old Arsenal midfielder Rice contributed 4 goals and 5 assists for Arsenal in the Premier League, and together with his teammates helped Arsenal win the Premier League title after 22 years.

In addition, in this season's Champions League, Rice scored one goal and provided two assists for Arteta's team, and thanks to his outstanding performance, he was named the best player of the match several times.

Arsenal legend Martin Keown said, "I think Rice had to play the best game of his career. I often describe him as a 'two-engine' player, like he has two engines in his body. I think he has already won a lot of Man of the Match awards this season. His performance has been extremely dominant, and it has been a very successful season for him."

“Every year there are discussions about who deserves the Player of the Year award, and I tend to give that honor to the person who actually wins the championship. But over the years, we’ve often seen that this isn’t the case, which always feels a bit disappointing.”

Martin Keown emphasized, "Rice still has a lot of room to prove himself, but this game could be his day, a day of complete dominance. If Arsenal want to win this final, he almost has to play his best performance of his career, because Paris Saint-Germain is indeed a very good team."

When asked how to contain Paris Saint-Germain's key players, such as Vitinha, João Neves, and Fabian Ruiz, Martin Keown said, "Vitinha is a bit like Bernardo Silva; he always appears in the most needed position. If there's trouble, just pass the ball to him, and he always provides a solution."

“Bernardo Silva has played that role at Manchester City for years, and Vitinha has a similar function. Paris Saint-Germain has three very good midfielders who constantly rotate positions, with Vitinha mostly responsible for dropping deep to organize the attack.”

Martin Keown points out, "Will Rice press aggressively from the front, or will Ødegaard take on that role? As I said, the midfield trio will be very interesting. I think the answer can be seen from the starting lineup. If Ødegaard comes on, Arsenal will likely press aggressively, starting from the front and putting pressure on Paris Saint-Germain."

"Will Arteta field Martin Zuwemendi, Lewis Skelley, and Rice in a three-man midfield? Or will he start Ødegaard as expected and use his pressing ability to lead the team's high pressing? After all, he has always been the trigger point for the team's high pressing. Therefore, I think the midfield selection is still uncertain."

In addition, Martin Keown said, "Lewis Skelly has been playing exceptionally well in recent games. What I admire most is his ability to make decisive forward passes and create threats from midfield. He is not afraid of any opponent and is not intimidated by any reputation."

"It's admirable that he's been able to join the team at such a young age and demonstrate such ability. His presence also allows Rice to have more freedom."

Image source: Internet