Sergio Aguero, former Manchester City striker, names Paris Saint-Germain as the top contenders to win the Champions League again, even with Premier League leaders Arsenal advancing to the semi-finals.
Semi-Final Matchups Underway
Defending champions PSG face Bayern Munich in the first semi-final on Tuesday night. Arsenal meet Atletico Madrid in the opening leg of the second semi-final on Wednesday.
PSG’s Road to the Semi-Finals
PSG secure their first Champions League title last season but struggle in this year’s group stage, finishing 11th and entering via play-offs. Luis Enrique’s team overcome Monaco in a tense matchup, then dominate Chelsea and Liverpool with a combined 12-2 scoreline to reach the last four.
Bayern Munich’s Strong Form
Bayern finish second in the group stage, suffering their sole defeat against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. The Bundesliga champions crush Atalanta 10-2 in the round of 16 and edge Real Madrid in a thrilling quarter-final.
Arsenal’s Steady Progress
Arsenal dispatch Bayer Leverkusen convincingly before edging Portuguese champions Sporting. Arteta’s squad lose four of their last seven matches across all competitions but reclaim the Premier League summit with a 1-0 victory over Newcastle United.
Atletico Madrid’s Mixed Results
Atletico stun La Liga leaders Barcelona in the quarter-finals amid seven losses in nine games. Diego Simeone’s team sit fourth domestically and fall to Real Sociedad on penalties in the Copa del Rey final.
Aguero Backs PSG
Aguero highlights PSG’s strengths ahead of the semi-finals. “PSG are doing very well,” the Premier League legend states. “It’s not easy to be back-to-back champions, but today both Bayern and Paris are very strong.”
He adds: “We’ll see what happens, but I think PSG have many chances. They play in the same way, they have very difficult players to stop, they are dangerous and today they look a bit more complete. With Luis Enrique they know exactly what they want and how they want to play. I think today we all think Paris have the best chance.”
Neville Questions Arsenal’s Chances
Arsenal chase their first Champions League triumph, but Gary Neville expresses skepticism about their prospects. “That will be a big struggle, Atletico are a team that suffocate you really in terms of the way they play,” Neville states.
He continues: “There won’t be any prioritisation between the competitions because you have to go for both. I think these Arsenal players know they have to win the Premier League and they’re probably not thinking that about the Champions League. A lot of these players don’t know how to win a Champions League, but they’ve been so close in the title race and they’ll be so desperate not to fall short in that.”
Neville concludes: “I do think that Mikel Arteta has to go for every single game and not prioritise any over the other, but he knows that the Premier League is the one that’s easier to win than the Champions League right now. I think there are better teams in there than them in the Champions League and it’s a cup competition. They’ve got three games left and they’ve only got four left in the league, so you could argue that it’s easy to win both. But I don’t see them getting past Atletico Madrid and the other teams in the semi-final, but I do see them having a chance with the league.”
