Rio Ferdinand would ‘worry’ for Arsenal if Bayern Munich went through (Picture: YouTube)
Rio Ferdinand believes Bayern Munich are favourites to progress in the Champions League at the expense of Arsenal ahead of their quarter-final second leg in Germany.
Premier League title contenders Arsenal travel to Munich on Wednesday night hoping to progress to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since 2009.
The first leg in north London finished 2-2 but Arsenal’s confidence may have taken a hit over the weekend as they were beaten at home by Aston Villa.
Bayern beat Koln on Saturday but their era of dominance in the Bundesliga came to an end later in the weekend as Bayer Leverkusen clinched their first league title with five games to spare.
It is the first time since 2011 that Bayern Munich have failed to win the Bundesliga but Ferdinand nevertheless views Thomas Tuchel’s side as favourites ahead of their Champions League clash with Arsenal.
The winner of the quarter-final clash will face Champions League holders Manchester City or prolific winners Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
‘I think it’s advantage Bayern Munich,’ Ferdinand, who won the Champions League with Manchester United in 2008, said on his YouTube channel. ‘Bayern are at home and have all that experience in Europe.
The first leg at the Emirates Stadium finished 2-2 (Picture: Getty)
‘Arsenal could win but it’s advantage Bayern for me. Can you imagine if [ex-Tottenham captain] Harry Kane knocks them out of Europe?
‘The biggest game of Arsenal’s season is on Wednesday night. If they lose that game, this team will never have been that low under Mikel Arteta.
‘To have a week like this, where you were in control, to then lose control in the league and then you’re out of the Champions League… I would worry for Arsenal at that point.’
More Trending
Arsenal were widely tipped to beat Bayern at the Emirates Stadium last week given the visitors’ struggles in the Bundesliga this season.
Bukayo Saka gave the hosts a dream start to the tie with a crisp finish after just 12 minutes but Bayern Munich went ahead through goals from ex-Arsenal star Serge Gnabry and former Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
Leandro Trossard came off the bench to score a 76th-minute equaliser and leave the quarter-final tie perfectly poised ahead of the return leg in Munich.
While Arsenal are still searching for their first Champions League trophy, Bayern Munich have won the competition six times, most recently in 2020.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Arsenal news, exclusives and analysis
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.