Speaking to UEFA ahead of Saturday's final in Budapest against Paris Saint-Germain, the Frenchman who managed Arsenal for 22 seasons was direct about where his prediction sits and what this occasion means to him personally.
"I still believe it's fifty-fifty in the final, and if I had to bet, I would bet on Arsenal more than on Paris Saint-Germain."
The final is Arsenal's second. The first was 2006. Wenger carried the memory of that night in Paris — a goalkeeper's red card after 18 minutes, a first-half goal from Sol Campbell, and then two from Barcelona to steal the trophy with ten men against them — for two decades. He spoke about it with no attempt to minimise the weight.
"We were thirteen minutes away from winning it. We knocked out the Galácticos at Real Madrid and Juventus. We reached the final against Barcelona unbeaten in the knockout stages. The biggest regret was that we played with ten men for 70 minutes. We were 1-0 up and had chances to make it 2-0 but we missed them and eventually lost 2-1 against a top Barcelona team. The regret is still there. But this time we will come back and win it."
He acknowledged that PSG are a genuinely complete side. He had praised their semi-final performances against Bayern Munich on beIN Sports before making himself clear in this UEFA interview that his belief in Arsenal is not diminished by that assessment.
"Paris Saint-Germain have huge attacking potential, but Arsenal also have individual quality and are very strong on set pieces, which can have a huge influence in a final. Once you are 1-0 up, everything starts to play to your strengths when you are strong defensively."
Wenger also used the interview to speak at length about Mikel Arteta. He saw in his former captain the qualities that have brought Arsenal to this stage — the obsessiveness, the authority, the willingness to disagree rather than agree for the sake of peace. Arteta named him as an inspiration publicly this week. Wenger's response was characteristically measured.
"He had total commitment in him. He had personality, strong beliefs and authority, and that certainly helps him a lot now."
He recalled how the conversations between them were never simply about Arteta's feelings — they were always about how Arsenal should play and what the problems were in the team. Players, Wenger said, always know what is wrong inside a squad even when they do not say it. Arteta always said it.
Wenger also pointed to the work Stan and Josh Kroenke have done in financing the rebuild. He was careful to credit others alongside Arteta, noting that the quality of the squad, the patience of the ownership and the financial investment all played their part in reaching this stage.
His trophy cabinet at Arsenal contained three Premier League titles, seven FA Cups and a Community Shield. The Champions League eluded him. He left knowing it was unfinished.
"I want this trophy to go to the Emirates because it's missing there. I always tried to leave the club in a strong position for the people who came after me."
He will not be on the bench in Budapest. But as far as Arsène Wenger is concerned, this remains his business too.