Journalist James McNicholas has now revealed why he considers Arsenal to be so well-placed to achieve Champions League glory this season.
Arsenal will get their Champions League knock-out round campaign underway against Porto on Wednesday evening.
The Gunners will travel to Portugal on Wednesday to take on Porto in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie, before welcoming the Portuguese outfit back to the Emirates Stadium for the second leg on March 12th.
Mikel Arteta’s side will be considered heavy favourites heading into the clash, but they are still in for a stern test. They cannot allow any complacency to creep into their game. The north London club have been in blistering Premier League form in recent weeks, and must now carry that into their European football.
Of course, Arsenal have never won the Champions League before. The closest came was as runners up in 2006, when Arsene Wenger’s men suffered late heartbreak against Barcelona in the final in Paris. If Arteta can lead Arsenal one step better than that effort this time around, and actually secure the trophy, then he and his players will have their status as club legends instantly assured.
Are Arsenal more likely to win the Champions League than the Premier League?
James McNicholas certainly believes that Arsenal can achieve something special in this year’s iteration of Europe’s elite club competition. Speaking on his latest On The Whistle YouTube video, in the immediate aftermath of the Gunners’ 5-0 win over Burnley, he said, “it’s funny, you know, I almost give Arsenal a better chance in Europe than I do in the Premier League, because, in the Premier League they’re relying on, you know, they can will all their games, but they’re still relying on City and Liverpool slipping up.”
“When you look at the Champions League, I think it’s just City that Arsenal really need to fear, and really need to worry about, and there’s a chance via the draw that you could avoid them. So, I think Arsenal have got a fantastic chance in the Champions League…They’ve got no excuses really, they should be pushing far into that competition.”
Manchester City will be the favourites to retain the Champions League crown that they won last season. Of course, the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and PSG, amongst others, remain in the competition and will also pose a huge threat to any side they come up against.
However, there is no reason for this Arsenal group to fear any opposition they may be drawn against. They have shown that they can rise to the big occasion, as they have already achieved landmark victories against both Manchester City and Liverpool this season. In the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, and William Saliba, amongst others, they also have top class players.
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has backed Arsenal to win the Premier League title this season, but that is no longer in their hands, due to the slight points/game in hand advantage that Liverpool and Manchester City currently hold, respectively. The Champions League offers a route to glory in which Arsenal remain masters of their own destiny.
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