Ally McCoist and Owen Hargreaves have each missed Arsenal when naming their favourites to win this 12 months’s Champions League.
Arsenal enjoyed an impressive group-stage campaign to breeze through to the last 16 of Europe’s premier competition, winning eight from eight while shipping only 4 goals.
It saw Mikel Arteta’s men finish top of the league phase with a 3 point advantage over six-time European champions Bayern Munich.
The Premier League leaders were joined by a powerful English contingent in the following round as Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, and Manchester City also secured top-eight finishes, before Newcastle advanced via the play-offs.
Because the remaining teams were plucked out finally month’s eagerly anticipated round-of-16 draw, the Gunners discovered they might be doing battle with Bayer Leverkusen for a spot on this 12 months’s quarter-finals.
European heavyweights Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and PSG all find themselves on the opposite side of the draw, leading fans and pundits alike to speak up Arsenal’s possibilities of finally breaking their Champions League duck.
1 / 4-final clash versus Bodo/Glimt or Sporting awaits Arsenal should they arrive through their two-legged last-16 contest with Leverkusen, kicking off on Wednesday evening.
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But former Rangers and Scotland striker McCoist is backing champions PSG to go all the best way once more, despite Luis Enrique’s side facing a potentially treacherous path to this 12 months’s final.
‘I’ve said right from the beginning of the competition, Paris, and I ain’t changing!’ McCoist said on TNT Sports’ last-16 preview show when asked to select his favourite for the trophy.
‘On his decision to overlook Arsenal, McCoist told host Darren Fletcher: ‘Well they might win it when you ask me who I believe will win it…
‘Arsenal could win it, in fact they might, but you’ve asked me who I believe will win it.’
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McCoist’s TNT Sports colleague Hargreaves also looked away from the Gunners when naming his most probably bet to go all the best way within the competition.
But unlike McCoist, the ex-England, Bayern Munich and Manchester United midfielder plumped for a team competing in Arsenal’s side of the attract the form of Barcelona.
‘Arsenal have gotten an excellent likelihood with that draw, haven’t they?’ Hargreaves began.
‘Do you recognize what? I’m going to go together with Barca. Yeah, I’m going Barca!
‘With the draw, obviously it favours that side. Lamine Yamal, Raphina, Robert Lewandowski, Pedri, Frekie De Jong… the manager has already won it.
‘They play super-aggressive football and when it gets to those games, you’ll probably play slightly bit deeper.
‘Barcelona could beat anybody on their day.’
The 2023 winners Manchester City have been paired with 15-time European champions Real Madrid in what guarantees to be an intriguing battle for a spot within the quarter-finals.
While acknowledging Madrid’s pedigree and history within the competition, Steven Gerrard insisted it was a ‘real 50-50 game’ between the 2 giants.
‘City at this stage of the season, I believe they’ve recruited rather well in January and that is where the machine starts rolling,’ the ex-Liverpool and England captain explained.
‘I believe pre-January, I’d probably edge towards Real Madrid. But now, at this stage, I believe they’re going to hit some form and it’s a real 50-50 game.’
Hargreaves put his neck on the road and named City as his ‘favourites’ to progress from the heavyweight last-16 tie.
He refused to speak down out Madrid’s possibilities of progressing, though, highlighting the person brilliance and firepower that might help Alvaro Albeloa’s side secure a spot in the following round.
‘I believe City are the favourites in that game they usually’ll probably win,’ Hargreaves said.
‘I remember chatting with Ruud van Nistelrooy about this once and he said that Real Madrid are probably the greatest clubs on the earth if you’re winning. If you’re not, it’s different.
‘Everybody starts coming out the corners, everybody has an opinion.
‘They’ve passed through a manager, they’ve got an interim in, they don’t really have a transparent identity with how they’re playing… you’ve got all this chopping and changing so I just think that have to be really difficult to be in that dressing room.
‘That club is so used to winning and I believe even the fans might be watching and considering, “What is that this?”… obviously they’re second in La Liga.
‘I don’t think they’re favourites in that match but because they’ve Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Kylian Mbappe and Thibaut Courtois, I wouldn’t bet against those guys.’
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