Following Arsenal’s victory over Porto in Tuesday night’s round of 16 Champions League round of 16 match at the Emirates Stadium, former Arsenal player Paul Merson declared boldly that the Gunners pose the strongest threat to defending champions Manchester City under manager Pep Guardiola in this season’s competition.
Merson noted that Arsenal can upset Manchester City’s championship defense in the Champions League after their outstanding performance.
Even though City is the current champion, the 55-year-old thinks Arsenal poses the greatest danger to City’s domination in the competition because of their strength over two legs.
In an open conversation with Sky Sports, Merson shared his belief that Arsenal can have a big Champions League impact—that is, if they can stay away from Manchester City.
Although he acknowledged Arsenal’s previous difficulties in European tournaments, he praised the team’s development into a premier league contender.
Merson stated “Over two legs, they [Arsenal] are Manchester City’s biggest threat, in my opinion.”
“I think Arsenal can go a long way if they can stay away from Manchester City.
“It’s got the elephant out of the room. They’ve been going out of these competitions too often, many years ago at this stage, and they’ve gone through tonight.
“Arsenal are moving forward, they are a very good team.”
