Joe Cole backs Premier League team to win Champions League | Football
Joe Cole has backed Arsenal to win this year’s Champions League, telling fans to ‘book their tickets’ for the final in Budapest as the draw has ‘opened up’ for the Gunners.
Arsenal enjoyed an outstanding group-stage campaign to sail through to the last 16 of this year’s competition, winning eight from eight while conceding only four goals.
It saw Mikel Arteta’s men finish top of the league phase with a three point advantage over six-time European champions Bayern Munich.
The Premier League leaders were joined by a strong English contingent in the next round as Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, and Manchester City also secured top-eight finishes, while Newcastle advanced via the play-offs.
Last Friday, all eyes were on the round of 16 draw at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, where Arsenal discovered that they will be doing battle with Bayer Leverkusen for a place in the quarter-finals.
European heavyweights Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain all find themselves on the other side of the draw, leading fans and pundits alike to talk up Arsenal’s chances of finally breaking their Champions League duck.
A quarter-final clash against Bodo/Glimt or Sporting awaits should Arteta’s side come through their two-legged last-16 contest with Leverkusen. Newcastle, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Spurs are the other teams on Arsenal’s side of the draw.
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‘Every team that has won it for the last ten years is on one side: Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, so it has opened up for Arsenal,’ ex-Chelsea, West Ham and England winger Cole said on The Dressing Room Podcast.
‘I think, personally, it’s going to be an Arsenal versus Manchester City final. I think it will be an epic.
‘I look at it, my only bet would be Arsenal going to the final. I’m not sure on the other side, with Manchester City you still don’t know because there’s too many good teams.
‘Arsenal get to the final. They’re going to beat Bayer Leverkusen, they ain’t no cop [good], Sporting or Bodo/Glimt…’
On Arsenal’s chances, Cole concluded: ‘In summery, the Champions League draw, they’ve opened it up, someone has rolled it across the goal for Arsenal. They cannot blow it… or can they?
‘Arsenal fans, book your tickets for Budapest, in my opinion.’
Five-time winners Barcelona enter their last-16 tie with Eddie Howe’s Newcastle as the slight favourites to progress through to the quarter-finals.
However, Cole is not convinced by the high line that Hansi Flick tends to play and would be shocked to see the La Liga champions go all the way in this year’s competition.
‘Barcelona can’t win it, not with that high line. Hansi Flick plays a high line,’ he explained.
‘He won the Champions League six years ago with Bayern Munich when it was Covid and he played this way of football.
‘But I think football was a little bit… with Covid, there’s an asterisk there. I don’t think you can do it again with this Barcelona team.
‘So Arsenal are in the final for me and, yeah, I think they can do it.’
PSG are set to enjoy a week off in between the two legs of their last-16 clash with Chelsea after it was agreed that their Ligue 1 match with Nantes could be moved.
According to Cole, this gives the Champions League holders a significant advantage and he is anticipating a ‘very difficult’ couple of games for his former club.
He said: ‘In between the two Chelsea games, PSG have just gone, “We’ll cancel that league game to prepare for it”.
‘Ligue 1 have helped PSG, they’ve moved it. It’s the equivalent of the Premier League going, “You know what? Forgot that game!”, Chelsea have to play Newcastle at home in between the legs… it’s a massive advantage [for PSG].
‘So I think Chelsea will find it very difficult to beat PSG under those circumstances.’
Will it be Arsenal’s year in the Champions League?
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Joe Cole backs Premier League team to win Champions League | Football
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