Arsenal are looking ahead to their huge Champions League clash with PSG in the semi-finals of the competition, with one eye firmly set on reaching the final.
While the Gunners have struggled in the Premier League, they have certainly excelled when it comes to the Champions League.
Arsenal beat Real Madrid over two legs in the quarter-finals to book themselves a place in the final four, overcoming their tag of underdogs in the feud.
With Mikel Arteta looking to add the one piece of silverware seemingly missing from the Arsenal trophy cabinet, stern tests still await.
Next up, Arsenal take on PSG at the Emirates Stadium before taking to the Parc des Princes with the final on the horizon.
While the North London side came out as victors in their previous meeting during the league phase of the competition, this is now a very different PSG side.
Fabio Capello predicts Arsenal to beat PSG in the Champions League semi-final
With one week to go until Arsenal welcome PSG to the Emirates Stadium, the anticipation is already building for a big match.
Surprisingly, Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves have predicted PSG to beat Arsenal, putting them into the final.
While it’s a bold claim, it’s one that former manager Fabio Capello clearly doesn’t agree with.
Speaking at Laureus World Sports Awards about the match, he said when predicting the result: “Arsenal has everything, quality, balance on the pitch and good physical condition, like PSG at the moment.
“From this point of view, the two teams are equal. But I think that at the moment, Arsenal has something more. If I had to bet, I think Arsenal will be better.”
It would be a huge moment in the history of Arsenal if they could book themselves for their second Champions League final, but at least 180 minutes stand between them and that possibility.
Fabio Capello praises Arsenal and their style of play
In recent years, under Arteta, Arsenal have been around the biggest prizes but without getting themselves over the line.
While the rebuild has been enjoyable, the Gunners will want trophies to represent their growth and as a reward for that push to the top.
While a league title is seemingly out of the question, the Champions League is still in the picture.
Discussing Arsenal as a whole under Arteta, Capello was full of praise as he added: “I’ve never seen an English team play so well.
“Apart from City, who were different, if we’re talking about the classic English style, not the Guardiola style, I think Arsenal play really well, with technical qualities and physical strength.”
He continued on the style of play: “Both have a very good team spirit, but Arsenal has a lot of personality. They play together, they work together. The pace of their matches is very high. It will be a very good matchup.”
While it could make for a good matchup, Arsenal simply want victory to put themselves into the final.
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