Arsenal and Liverpool are among the teams aiming for Champions League glory, but they will need to beat PSG, who are in a sensational move to defend their title.
Arsenal and Liverpool are said to be likely to have their hopes of winning the Champions League thwarted by PSG, who are on a “different level” to the rest of Europe.
The French giants defeated Inter Milan in the final last season to finally claim European glory and launched a dominant defense. This week, they defeated Bayer Leverkusen 7-2, maintaining a 100 percent start from three games.
Arsenal and Liverpool are seen as the English teams most likely to conquer the continent, with the Gunners having won three out of three, just like the Paris side. The Reds defeated Frankfurt on Wednesday night to get back to winning ways.
Last season, PSG beat both Arsenal and Liverpool on their way to winning the trophy. The latter were eliminated in the last 16 after a penalty shootout at Anfield, but the North Londoners were eliminated in the last 4 with PSG winning home and away.
Danny Murphy believes Arsenal will end their trophy drought this season by winning their first top-flight title since 2004, and also dismissed the idea that Mikel Arteta will have to leave if they fail to win silver.
read more: Mo Salah slams Florian Wirths for his actions in Liverpool’s match against Frankfurtread more: Thierry Henry talks about his Champions League predictions after reaching an agreement with Arsenal
Asked if he expected Arsenal to win either the Top League or the European Cup this season, he told talkSPORT: “Yes, I think so now. I think they will win the Premier League. In the Champions League…PSG, if everyone is healthy, they are on another level.”
“But I don’t agree that Mikel Arteta has to win something. If you score 98 points and lose the title on the last day, or lose the Champions League final in extra time because of a wrong decision by the referee, you’re not going to sack him, are you? That would be ridiculous.”
“So I don’t think he needs to win anything, but he’s going to have to be unlucky and competitive until the end in both tournaments to be forgiven.”
Arsenal invested heavily in the summer, bringing in the likes of Victor Gokeres, Eberechi Eze and Martin Zvimendi as they looked to end a string of near-misses. The North Londoners are currently in first place after finishing second on the bounce for three years.
They beat Atletico Madrid at the Emirates on Tuesday, defeating the Spanish side 4-0. Just a few weeks ago, Liverpool narrowly defeated Diego Simeone’s side, but the Atletico manager admitted Arsenal were far better.
He said: “I would say they are the best team we have played against this season. They are very competitive, the players keep running and they have quality all over the pitch. They deserved the win today and I would like to congratulate them.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£43
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
