Rio Ferdinand and Fabio Capello are at odds over Arsenal’s chances against Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Mikel Arteta’s side secured their spot in the last four with a resounding 5-1 aggregate win over Real Madrid, while PSG edged out Aston Villa, having already dispatched Liverpool.
PSG, under the guidance of Luis Enrique, are many people’s favourites to claim the title, a sentiment echoed by Ferdinand, who sees them facing Inter Milan in the final. Inter will go up against Barcelona following their last-four victory over Bayern Munich.
Fellow TNT Sports pundit Owen Hargreaves is also backing PSG to defeat the Gunners, although he reckons Barca will prevail in the other semi. However, ex-England boss Capello expects the Gunners to triumph over PSG and make it to their first final since 2006.
“Arsenal have it all,” said the Italian managerial legend via Paris Fans. “Quality, balance on the pitch, and good physical condition – just like PSG at the moment. From that perspective, both teams are evenly matched.
“But right now, I think Arsenal have something extra: quality and physical strength. Both sides have a great team spirit, but Arsenal have a lot of personality. They play together, work hard together.
“The tempo of their matches is very high. It’s going to be a fantastic match-up, but if I had to bet, I think Arsenal will come out on top.
“I’ve never seen an English team play this well – aside from [Manchester] City, who are a different case. If we’re talking about the traditional English style, not Guardiola’s version, I find that Arsenal are playing really, really well with technical quality and physical power.”
With second place in the Premier League all but secure, Arteta can put full focus on the semi-final, with the first leg at home on April 29 and the return on May 7.
The Gunners are sweating over Bukayo Saka’s fitness after he was on the receiving end of a dangerous challenge from Leif Davis, who was sent off in Sunday’s 4-0 win at Ipswich. Saka was withdrawn 10 minutes into the second half and had an ice pack applied to his right ankle.
However, Arteta is hopeful the England international, who has only just returned from a near four-month injury lay-off after hamstring surgery, will be fit to face the French champions.
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