Man City’s Pep Guardiola is aiming to win a joint-record fourth Champions League as a manager (Photo: Getty)
Paul Merson has boldly claimed that only Arsenal are capable of stopping Manchester City from winning back-to-back Champions League titles.
The 2023/24 UCL is officially underway, with City kicking off their defence with a 3-1 comeback win over Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday night.
Barcelona and PSG also got off to winning starts, while the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid begin their campaigns on Wednesday.
Following on from their remarkable treble win, the Citizens are the favourites for the crown again this season as they aim to become only the second side in history, after Real Madrid, to win the Champions League in consecutive years.
Gunners legend Merson certainly believes they’ll do it, ranking Pep Guardiola’s City higher than Zinedine Zidane’s Real side that won three titles in a row from 2016 to 2018.
‘I think they’re [City] the team to beat. I think they’re head and shoulders above everybody, in my opinion,’ he said on Sky Sports.
‘I think the only thing that can beat them really for me is the final when it’s a one-off game but when you’re playing over two legs, 180 minutes, I don’t know anybody who’s going to be able to mix it with them, I really don’t.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal will play in the Champions League for the first time in over six years (Photo: Getty)
‘And I think they will take all the beating. When you look at Real Madrid when they won it three times on the trot, I don’t think it was that much dominant as what you’d think Man City are now.
‘I don’t think Real Madrid were that far clear of the rest. I mean you had Barcelona, who was heads or tails. Here, I don’t see heads or tails.’
But when it came to predicting who would be the Citizens’ nearest challengers, Merson boldly put forward his former club, despite Mikel Arteta’s squad lacking experience in the competition.
Champions League 2023/24winner odds
Man City – 2/1
Bayern Munich – 11/2
Real Madrid – 7/1
Arsenal – 10/1
Barcelona – 11/1
PSG – 14/1
Inter Milan – 20/1
Napoli – 25/1
Newcastle – 25/1
Man Utd – 25/1
Atletico Madrid – 25/1
Odds courtesy of Betfair
‘When you look at the teams like Bayern Munich, Arsenal, PSG… I think for me the danger would be Arsenal,’ the former midfielder added.
‘They’ve got good players. Declan Rice coming in, I know he’s not played in the Champions League but these are international pros. They’ve played in big tournaments, you know in European championships, World Cups which, to be honest, is bigger than the Champions League in my opinion.
‘Arsenal’s group’s a good group. I think they get through that group, I think they become a dangerous team when they get through the group.
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‘Arsenal are one of them teams you won’t want to play, in my opinion. I think you get to the quarterfinals, last 16, I don’t think you’d be happy if you drew Arsenal and that’s why I think they got a chance.
‘I think with the other teams – PSG have had 100 times better players over the years and they’ve never looked like really winning it and I don’t see them winning it again this time around.’
Arsenal take on PSV, Sevilla and Lens in the group, kicking off their first Champions League campaign for over six years against the Dutch side tonight.
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