Rio Ferdinand makes bold Arsenal vs PSG prediction for Champions League final | Football

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand says he expects Arsenal to ’cause absolute carnage’ from set-pieces against Paris Saint-Germain to win this year’s Champions League.

Bukayo Saka scored the decisive goal against Atletico Madrid in last week’s semi-final second leg to send the Gunners through to the club’s second-ever Champions League final in front of a rapturous Emirates crowd.

The north London outfit will be looking to banish the memories of their only previous appearance two decades ago, when Barcelona came from behind to beat Arsene Wenger’s men to get their hands on the trophy.

Mikel Arteta’s side undoubtedly find themselves on the cusp of greatness this season, with the Premier League title also in their hands with two matches remaining of the top-flight campaign.

However, speaking after Sunday’s dramatic victory over West Ham, Arteta stressed that he and his squad were taking nothing for granted either domestically or in Europe, where a daunting clash with the holders PSG awaits.

The Ligue 1 giants overcame Bayern Munich in their semi-final, winning 6-5 on aggregate, establishing themselves as the most potent attacking force in the process – having scored 44 goals across the competition, compared to Arsenal’s 29.

But according to Ferdinand, Luis Enrique’s side look ‘uncomfortable’ when defending set-pieces at the other end of the pitch, which is where they could come unstuck when they lock horns with Arsenal at Budapest’s Puskas Arena.

‘I said Arsenal would win the league this year and I think Arsenal will win the league,’ the former Manchester and England defender said on his Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel.

‘And I now think that Arsenal are going to win the Champions League, guys.

‘You know why? Let me explain myself. PSG are the better team, 100 per cent. Right now, they’ve got the team, they’re the better footballing team, better style of play, they’re the best team on the planet to watch and their manager is the best right now at this point.

‘But they look uncomfortable at set-pieces. Even Bayern Munich, who aren’t great at set-pieces, they made them look uncomfortable and I’ve seen it many times this season.’

Ferdinand, who won the Champions League with United in 2008, added: ‘Arsenal play a lot of football and a lot of it is driven to set-pieces. And I think Arsenal fans would agree with that.

‘They’re the best team in the Premier League at set-pieces and if they get set-pieces and free-kicks and corners, they are going to cause absolute carnage against that small PSG team.

‘Physically, at set-pieces, PSG can not compete with Arsenal and if Arsenal get any type of possession and any type of free-kicks around the box, or even the halfway line, they’re going to cause damage.’

On the suggestion that Champions League referees have been hotter than Premier League officials on wrestling and holding inside the box, Ferdinand replied: ‘Yeah, but Bayern didn’t have to be aggressive.

‘You just have to make good runs and they’ve got athletic, big players, Arsenal, who know how to get on the end of things.

‘I just think they’re going to cause problems and I think in the stadium you’ll feel an air and an energy of uncertainty from PSG.

‘PSG are absolutely certain and confident in every facet of their game bar set-pieces. And that’s where Arsenal are strong.

‘It leads me to believe that there is hope for Arsenal. Like I said, I’ll reiterate, as a football team and the way they play, there’s not a comparison for me right now, at this moment in time.

‘But there’s more to football than just style of play and set-pieces have to be considered hugely and I think Arsenal are a massive threat to this PSG team.’

In the aftermath of Sunday’s thriller at the London Stadium, Ian Wright suggested Arteta’s Arsenal would go down as the greatest team in the club’s history should they win the double this season.

‘Of course, you have to agree,’ Ferdinand said when asked about Wright’s remarks.

‘If they win the Premier League and the Champions League, no Arsenal’s team has ever done that… in the same season as well.

‘Manchester United have done it twice, Manchester City have done it, Liverpool did in in the 1970s. My team did it, we won the Premier League and Champions League.

‘A lot of teams win one or the other but yeah, they’ll have to go down as the best Arsenal team, 100 per cent, I don’t think that’s even debatable.’

When it comes to Arsenal’s Champions League’s hopes, Ferdinand’s long-time team-mate Gary Neville is not quite so confident.

The ex-United and England right-back conceded that Arteta’s squad would enter a ‘different stratosphere’ if they did come out on top in Hungary on May 30.

‘The Arsenal players should be in dreamland now, they should be unstoppable, nothing should be able to stop them now,’ Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast.

‘In the Champions League final they need to think about their defensive ability and strength and think how they can over 90 minutes beat a team who are better than them.

‘Because PSG are better than them, you can’t get away from that. PSG are a better team than Arsenal right now and they’ve demonstrated that over the last two seasons.

‘For Mikel Arteta it’s a chance to go to another level because winning the Champions League would be incredible.

Winning the Premier League for the first time in 22 years is huge but getting the Champions League as well would be incredible.

‘It feels like the right moment for Arsenal to win the Premier League, it doesn’t quite feel like the right moment for them to win the Champions League.

‘It feels like the moment PSG for win it back-to-back and for Luis Enrique to put himself up there with the God-like managers who have done this.

‘It feels more like that than Arsenal winning the double but it doesn’t really matter, it would still be a sensational season for Arsenal.

‘And if they do win the double, that puts them into a different stratosphere.’

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