Arsenal will be looking to go one step further in the Champions League this season than they did in the 2024/25 campaign, aiming to reach the final of the prestigious competition.
The Gunners have never won this piece of European silverware, but have gone close on a handful of occasions.
Mikel Arteta’s team were beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final last term, reaching this stage of the competition for the first time since 2009.
The North London club have also come up short in the final, famously falling to defeat at the hands of Barcelona in Paris in 2006.
Nedum Onuoha and Pat Nevin make Arsenal Champions League prediction
Andrea Berta has spent £250 million on seven players this summer, in an attempt to provide Arteta with greater depth.
Arsenal suffered from several injury issues last season, which ultimately derailed their campaign, but this shouldn’t be as significant a concern this campaign due to Berta’s transfer activity.
This should subsequently allow the Gunners to compete on multiple fronts, as they look to win both the Premier League and the Champions League.
While not predicting them to win the European competition, Nedum Onuoha and Pat Nevin both believe Arsenal will go further than either Liverpool or Manchester City.
“Listen, I apologise to all my City folk out there, they’re going to be pressing me quite hard here,” Onuoha said on BBC Sport.
“But I just felt, I’m looking at Liverpool, Arsenal and City, and they are all actually the same. So, I went back to last year and looked at who got the furthest, and it was Arsenal in that semi-final.
“They’ll feel disappointed they didn’t make that final, and I think with the players they brought in this summer, they’re capable of going one step further.”
Nevin agreed, stating: “Chelsea have got a good chance of improving again, but absolutely Arsenal, with the depth they have when they get everyone back fit, they’ll be able to manage.”
Arsenal are built to succeed in the Champions League
Arsenal are excellent in big matches.
The Gunners haven’t lost against a big six side since the 2022/23 season, with their style of play perfectly suited to negating the threat of high-quality opposition.
Arteta sets his team up to be resilient defensively, controlling games and restricting the opposition’s ability to break into their defensive third.
This will serve them well in the Champions League, as it did last season, and thus, they’re well placed to conquer this competition.
If they can successfully make their way through the League Phase, then they have a great chance of being able to navigate knockout football.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
