Is the perfect Arsenal ready to answer the critics?
Leverkusen vs. Arsenal – Wednesday, 5:45 p.m.
There is no doubt that Mikel Arteta is aware of the expectations surrounding Arsenal. Recent performances suggest the same goes for his players. The reality of still being through all four competitions so far in the season has had an impact, not only in terms of physical fatigue but also in terms of mental struggle.
This group is desperate to get results, which makes certain games tense and wild, where the football is more important than the result. Saturday’s 2-1 win over League One side Mansfield was a case in point.
Arteta is probably paying little attention to the criticism his team is attracting given the state of play, and is solely focused on how to turn a campaign with so much potential into one that ends in silver. He will never lose, despite the irony of being the only team to have a perfect record in the Champions League finals, despite being branded as a team that plays “boring football”.
The Gunners won all eight of their league games, their first win in the new format. Unlike many Premier League fixtures, Arsenal’s talented players have given themselves time and space to be creative, scoring the first goal in every game so far and scoring three or more goals in each of their last six.
If Bayer Leverkusen have done their homework, they will try to make the pitch as tight and compact as possible, avoiding doing to themselves what Arsenal have done to each of their opponents. It won’t be easy for Leverkusen, who finished in 16th place after conceding more goals than scoring in the league. This is Arsenal’s chance to prove some doubters wrong.
laura hunter
City can make statement against injured Real Madrid
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé (left) and Jude Bellingham
Real Madrid vs. Man City – Wednesday, 8pm
Manchester City and Real Madrid have quickly become a modern-day Champions League rivalry, largely due to the fact that they have drawn in the knockout stages each of the past five seasons.
Since the 2019/20 season, we have seen them play in the knockout play-offs, the quarter-finals and two semi-finals. The sides will meet again in the last 16 and City have plenty of reasons to be optimistic about their chances against the 15-time Champions League winners.
This is not a vintage Real Madrid team, missing key players. Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham are reportedly not expected to recover in time for the first leg, while Rodrygo is ruled out for the rest of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
City can take confidence from the fact that they have already beaten Real Madrid at the Bernabéu this season. It was a great performance from Josep Guardiola’s side, who won 2-1 thanks to goals from Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland.
It was just the latest example of Real Madrid struggling to keep up with the intensity of competition against Premier League sides. They have lost four in a row against English teams in the Champions League, and there is increasing evidence that they are falling behind.
Arsenal demonstrated exactly this in last season’s quarter-finals by crushing the holders with a 5-1 aggregate victory. Real Madrid can never be ruled out in this competition, but this draw gives City a chance to make a statement.
Ginny Boswell
Is it time for Rosenior to put his stamp on Chelsea fans?
Liam Roseniol is one of only two Ligue 1 managers to have Luis Enrique’s PSG drop points at home this season.
PSG vs Chelsea – Wednesday, 8pm
If Liam Rosenior learned anything from his predecessor Enzo Maresca, he may have realized the difference a win against PSG would make for the Chelsea manager.
This may not be a Club World Cup final, but Rosenior still has a chance to turn this Champions League last-16 tie into a clear victory, and he needs to do something to shake off the somewhat unkind label of ‘LinkedIn Liam’ being thrown at him by some and prove he has the seriousness needed to succeed at Stamford Bridge.
This took plenty of time, even though Maresca led the club to the Champions League in his only full season, winning the Conference League and the Club World Cup. Given the prospect of an internal appointment from Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg, Rosenior probably faces a more difficult mountain to climb.
Some of Rosenior’s public comments, team selection and tinkering have done little to allay doubts about his suitability for a fan base with memories of Mourinho, Conte, Ancelotti and famous European nights in west London. However, the scalp of the same Champions League holder, who defeated the English team in all finals last season, will help increase his credibility in the eyes of Chelsea fans.
As well as Luis Enrique’s PSG, Rossenyol knows the remaining managers in the competition well, given that he spent 18 months in charge in Ligue 1 before joining Chelsea, and his Strasbourg side remain one of only two teams to emerge unbeaten from the Parc des Princes in the league thanks to a 3-3 draw in October. Strasbourg led 3-1 at one point and would have taken the lead on the night if they had held on for the win.
There was a silver lining for the Blues manager who got the ball rolling in last week’s 4-1 win over Aston Villa, but extra-time was needed to beat Wrexham in the FA Cup after making nine changes in North Wales.
Barring an incredible line-up like the one in the starting 11 for the final league game against Napoli, there is no reason why Rosenior can’t leave Paris happy for the second time this season.
Ron Walker
