{"id":333125,"date":"2026-05-11T23:53:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T18:23:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=333125"},"modified":"2026-05-11T23:53:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T18:23:35","slug":"rio-ferdinand-makes-daring-arsenal-vs-psg-prediction-for-champions-league-final-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/11\/rio-ferdinand-makes-daring-arsenal-vs-psg-prediction-for-champions-league-final-football\/","title":{"rendered":"Rio Ferdinand makes daring Arsenal vs PSG prediction for Champions League final | Football"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Arsenal can \u2018damage\u2019 PSG from set-pieces within the Champions League final, says Rio Ferdinand (Picture: Rio Ferdinand Presents)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand says he expects Arsenal to \u2019cause absolute carnage\u2019 from set-pieces against Paris Saint-Germain to win this 12 months\u2019s Champions League.<\/p>\n

Bukayo Saka scored the decisive goal against Atletico Madrid in last week\u2019s semi-final second leg to send the Gunners through to the club\u2019s second-ever Champions League final in front of a rapturous Emirates crowd.<\/p>\n

The north London outfit will likely be seeking to banish the memories of their only previous appearance twenty years ago, when Barcelona got here from behind to beat Arsene Wenger\u2019s men to get their hands on the trophy.<\/p>\n

Mikel Arteta\u2019s side undoubtedly find themselves on the cusp of greatness this season, with the Premier League title also of their hands with two matches remaining of the top-flight campaign.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, speaking after Sunday\u2019s dramatic victory over West Ham, Arteta stressed that he and his squad were taking nothing with no consideration either domestically or in Europe, where a frightening clash with the holders PSG awaits.<\/p>\n

The Ligue 1 giants overcame Bayern Munich of their semi-final, winning 6-5 on aggregate, establishing themselves as essentially the most potent attacking force in the method \u2013 having scored 44 goals across the competition, in comparison with Arsenal\u2019s 29.<\/p>\n

But in accordance with Ferdinand, Luis Enrique\u2019s side look \u2018uncomfortable\u2019 when defending set-pieces at the opposite end of the pitch, which is where they might come unstuck once they lock horns with Arsenal at Budapest\u2019s Puskas Arena.<\/p>\n

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Arteta\u2019s Arsenal are targeting a historic double this season (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\n\t\t\"Arsenal\t<\/div>
Saka fired the Gunners through to this 12 months\u2019s Champions League final (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018I said Arsenal would win the league this 12 months and I believe Arsenal will win the league,\u2019 the previous Manchester and England defender said on his Rio Ferdinand Presents<\/a> YouTube channel.<\/p>\n

\u2018And I now think that Arsenal are going to win the Champions League, guys. <\/p>\n

\u2018You realize why? Let me explain myself. PSG are the higher team, 100 per cent. Straight away, they\u2019ve got the team, they\u2019re the higher footballing team, higher sort of play, they\u2019re the most effective team on the planet to observe and their manager is the most effective right away at this point.<\/p>\n

\u2018But they give the impression of being uncomfortable at set-pieces. Even Bayern Munich, who aren\u2019t great at set-pieces, they made them look uncomfortable and I\u2019ve seen it repeatedly this season.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Ferdinand, who won the Champions League with United in 2008, added: \u2018Arsenal play a number of football and a number of it’s driven to set-pieces. And I believe Arsenal fans would agree with that.<\/p>\n

\u2018They\u2019re the most effective team within the Premier League at set-pieces and in the event that they get set-pieces and free-kicks and corners, they will cause absolute carnage against that small PSG team.<\/p>\n

\u2018Physically, at set-pieces, PSG can’t compete with Arsenal and if Arsenal get any form of possession and any form of free-kicks across the box, and even the halfway line, they\u2019re going to cause damage.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Ferdinand won the Champions League with Manchester United in 2008 (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the suggestion that Champions League referees have been hotter than Premier League officials on wrestling and holding contained in the box, Ferdinand replied: \u2018Yeah, but Bayern didn\u2019t should be aggressive.<\/p>\n

\u2018You simply should make good runs and so they\u2019ve got athletic, big players, Arsenal, who know the way to get on the tip of things.<\/p>\n

\u2018I just think they\u2019re going to cause problems and I believe within the stadium you\u2019ll feel an air and an energy of uncertainty from PSG.<\/p>\n

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\u2018PSG are absolutely certain and assured in every facet of their game bar set-pieces. And that\u2019s where Arsenal are strong.<\/p>\n

\u2018It leads me to consider that there’s hope for Arsenal. Like I said, I\u2019ll reiterate, as a football team and the way in which they play, there\u2019s not a comparison for me right away, at this moment in time.<\/p>\n

\u2018But there\u2019s more to football than simply sort of play and set-pieces should be considered hugely and I believe Arsenal are an enormous threat to this PSG team.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Trossard scored what proved to be the winner against West Ham on Sunday (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Within the aftermath of Sunday\u2019s thriller on the London Stadium, Ian Wright suggested Arteta\u2019s Arsenal would go down as the best team within the club\u2019s history should they win the double this season.<\/p>\n

\u2018In fact, you could have to agree,\u2019 Ferdinand said when asked about Wright\u2019s remarks.<\/p>\n

\u2018In the event that they win the Premier League and the Champions League, no Arsenal\u2019s team has ever done that\u2026 in the identical season as well.<\/p>\n

\u2018Manchester United have done it twice, Manchester City have done it, Liverpool did in within the Seventies. My team did it, we won the Premier League and Champions League.<\/p>\n

\u2018A number of teams win one or the opposite but yeah, they\u2019ll should go down as the most effective Arsenal team, 100 per cent, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s even debatable.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Will Arsenal win the double this season?<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

In terms of Arsenal\u2019s Champions League\u2019s hopes, Ferdinand\u2019s long-time team-mate Gary Neville will not be quite so confident.<\/p>\n

The ex-United and England right-back conceded that Arteta\u2019s squad would enter a \u2018different stratosphere\u2019 in the event that they did come out on top in Hungary on May 30.<\/p>\n

\u2018The Arsenal players ought to be in dreamland now, they ought to be unstoppable, nothing should find a way to stop them now,\u2019 Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2018Within the Champions League\u00a0final\u00a0they should take into consideration their defensive ability and strength and think how they’ll over\u00a090 minutes\u00a0beat a team who\u00a0are\u00a0higher than them.<\/p>\n

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PSG enter the ultimate because the \u2018higher team\u2019, says United great Neville (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Because PSG are higher than them, you\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0get away from that. PSG are a greater team than Arsenal right\u00a0now\u00a0and\u00a0they\u2019ve\u00a0demonstrated\u00a0that during the last two seasons.<\/p>\n

\u2018For Mikel Arteta\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a probability to go to a different level because winning the Champions League could be\u00a0incredible.<\/p>\n

Winning the Premier League for the primary time in 22 years is big but getting the Champions League as well could be\u00a0incredible.<\/p>\n

\u2018It looks like the proper moment for Arsenal to win the Premier\u00a0League,\u00a0it\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0quite feel like the proper moment for them to win the Champions League.<\/p>\n

\u2018It looks like the moment PSG for win it back-to-back and for Luis Enrique to place himself up there with the God-like managers who’ve done this.<\/p>\n

\u2018It feels more like that than Arsenal winning the\u00a0double\u00a0nevertheless it\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0really matter, it could still be a sensational season for Arsenal.<\/p>\n

\u2018And in the event that they do win the double, that puts them into a unique stratosphere.\u2019<\/p>\n

For more stories like this,\u00a0check our sport page<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Arrow<\/title>\n<\/use><\/svg>MORE: Martin Keown slams Peter Schmeichel\u2019s \u2018ridiculous\u2019 tackle West Ham disallowed goal against Arsenal<\/span><\/p>\n

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