Arsenal are unlikely to lift the Premier League title this season after falling 13 points behind league leaders Liverpool, and thus the Champions League is Mikel Arteta’s best hope at claiming silverware.
The Gunners have been cut adrift of the Merseysiders after losing at home to West Ham and drawing away at Nottingham Forest in their last two matches.
The attention will naturally turn to Europe’s elite competition, with Arteta’s men set to face PSV Eindhoven over two legs.
Arsenal have a difficult route to the final, with the winners of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid awaiting if the North Londoners can overcome the Dutch outfit.
One of Aston Villa, Club Brugge, Liverpool or Paris Saint-Germain would then be Arsenal’s prospective semi-final opponent.
Nedum Onuoha says Arsenal ‘have a real chance’ of winning the Champions League
Arsenal are well set up to thrive in the Champions League, with Arteta’s side’s defensive resilience meaning they’ll always at the very least be competitive in games, particularly in home legs at the Emirates.
The question marks will be around whether the Gunners have the offensive firepower to ride the margins across multiple legs against top quality opposition.
Speaking on the Football Daily podcast, former Manchester City star Nedum Onuoha insisted that Arsenal have a good chance of lifting the piece of silverware that has eluded them for their entire history.
“If Arteta manages to be the manager that gives Arsenal the chance to play in another Champions League final, then that is huge success,” Onuoha said.
“With the home advantage Arsenal have in the second leg, I don’t think it’s the case of being on the brink of collapse, I think it is more so an opportunity for them.
“They have a real chance in the Champions League, as good as a chance as anybody else because as we’ve seen any result is possible and if they can find good football and be defensively solid like they have been throughout the competition so far, they will be in with a good chance.”
“I see it more as an opportunity for Arsenal, who is to say they can’t do it? Why not believe?”
Onuoha’s optimistic outlook will be hugely encouraging to the Gunners faithful, who are desperate for the season not to spiral into nothing with months left of the campaign.
The ex-defender has built a reputation of being a well-spoken and insightful pundit in his post-playing career, and thus his confidence in Arteta’s team will be a lift to the Arsenal fans who are fearing the worst.
Arsenal have been the best defensive team in the Champions League this season
Conceding just one open-play goal in the Champions League league phase, Arsenal boasted the most impressive underlying metrics defensively in this initial stage of the competition.
The Gunners conceded just 5.8 expected goals across eight matches, with the next best being Liverpool with 7.1.
| Champions League league phase 2024/25 defensive record | ||
| Team | Goals conceded | xG conceded |
| Inter Milan | 1 | 7.3 |
| Arsenal | 3 | 5.8 |
| Liverpool | 5 | 7.1 |
| Atalanta | 6 | 8.4 |
| Aston Villa | 6 | 9.3 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 7 | 8 |
| Juventus | 7 | 13.1 |
This equates to Arsenal averaging just 0.73 expected goals against them per 90 minutes, a number that will rarely result in the North London outfit shipping multiple goals in a game.
Thus, Onuoha’s claim that Arteta’s team have a genuine chance is very reasonable when you factor in the extreme defensive solidity you can expect from them.
Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka are expected to return from injury before the quarter-final stage, potentially giving the flailing attack a new lease of life.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
