Arsenal

Arsenal

Premier League • England

Ferdinand makes huge Arsenal Champions League prediction, as Arteta backed to disrupt Man City’s ‘lions den’

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and Rio Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand has praised Mikel Arteta's Arsenal

Champions League teams have been sent a major warning, with pundits Rio Ferdinand and Martin Keown heaping praise on Arsenal and backing the Gunners to end the season with big success.

Arsenal enjoyed a great weekend in the Premier League, notching a late winner against Brentford to snatch all three points and watching title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City play out an entertaining 1-1 draw at Anfield. Those results saw Arsenal go top of the table, ahead of Liverpool on goal difference and with a one point advantage over City.

Mikel Arteta’s side then turned their attention to the Champions League. They had to overturn a 1-0 goal deficit from the round of 16 first leg defeat to Porto.

Surprisingly, Porto dominated Arsenal for periods of the return leg, despite it being held at the Emirates. Arsenal dragged themselves level in the tie before half time though, with Leandro Trossard finishing calmly after great play by skipper Martin Odegaard.

Arsenal pushed hard for a winner but could not find one as the Porto defence held firm. This saw the tie go to penalties, which is where goalkeeper David Raya saved two spot-kicks to send Arsenal through to the Champions League quarter-finals.

Ferdinand was on TNT Sports’ coverage of the game. He thinks Arsenal must be considered one of the favourites for the UCL as they can cause any team in Europe serious problems.

DON’T MISS: Five top-class strikers Arsenal could target this summer – from £17m to £100m superstars

“I think they are genuinely a hard, hard opposition for anybody left in the competition, I don’t care who it is,” he said.

“Manchester City, over two legs, it is a difficult game for them because Arsenal are a team that can match most teams left in this competition.

Arsenal ‘can go close to anyone’ – Rio Ferdinand

“Whether they beat them, I think they can go close to anyone at the moment.”

Arsenal hero Keown, meanwhile, thinks Arsenal are ‘full of confidence’ ahead of the huge Prem clash against City at the Etihad on March 31.

“What it means is momentum,” he added. “And it means that Arsenal now can go into that Man City [game] full of confidence.

“You know it’s the lion’s den, you know what they’ve achieved, six trophies last year, it’s the ultimate test. But they go there now really confident and in good form.

“It would have been a downer if they had lost this tonight and gone into the City game, of course they are out of the FA Cup, but now this keeps it ticking along beautifully. The players grow from it, there’s a lot of confidence now.

“It’s a really big night where they can feel that they can potentially be winners. I’m putting it out there – they want to win something.”

READ MORE: Arsenal line up £85.5m signing of striker who’s outscoring Haaland and is superior to Osimhen and Toney