'They'll be favourites now' - who tipped Arsenal to win Champions League?
BBC Sport journalists and pundits have had their say on who they think is going to win the Champions League this season.Five of them have predicted that Arsenal's semi-final opponents Paris St-Germain are going to lift the famous trophy, but three have said they think it will be the Gunners that win it for the first time in the club's history:Football news reporter Alex Howell: Mikel Arteta's side have faced a lot of adversity this season and have found their stride in the Champions League.Defensively, they are excellent and with the attacking threat of Bukayo Saka, the Gunners have the quality to hurt any team left in the competition.Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha: As I look at the two ties left now, I think it is going to be one of the first-time winners, so either Arsenal or PSG, whoever comes through their semi-final.That is a shame for one of them because they are the two best teams in the competition. It is very hard to choose between the two but I am going to go for Arsenal.Beating Real Madrid, even if this is not the best version of Real Madrid is one thing, but to go to the Bernabeu with all the talk about a comeback and be so robust showed they have what it takes.Overall, in terms of how they are prepared to defend and suffer, and still have a threat in attack, I would argue they are the most complete team left in the competition.Former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott: I want Arsenal to win it and they are certainly capable of going all the way.They will be favourites now, after going to the Bernabeu and beating Real Madrid, but there is something about Inter Milan that worries me. The way they defend makes me think they have a real chance too.It is still so open, though, and I can't even call either semi-final right now, let alone the final - it is too hard to say who will win it with any certainty.You can read all the predictions here
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
40 minutes ago
- BBC News
'How was your Sunday?' - reaction to 'King Carlos'
It was a final so engrossing that the Spanish national football team huddled around a mobile phone to watch before their Nations League meeting with Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner put on a performance for the ages as they battled over an epic five sets for the French Open into a corner after losing the opening two sets, defending champion Alcaraz came out swinging - and saved three championship points on the way - to win 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (10-2).Just two minutes before Spain kicked off their Nations League final against Portugal at 20:00 BST, their compatriot Alcaraz had defied the odds to complete his magnificent compatriots, who also went the distance before losing on penalties, watched at least some of his heroics as they took in their surroundings on the field at the Allianz Arena in Munich. Alcaraz could not resist posting an image of himself, external holding the Coupe des Mousquetaires, with the caption: "How was your Sunday?"And the 22-year-old received widespread praise for the manner in which he got over the line to land a fifth Grand Slam title, achieving that feat at the exact same age as his legendary compatriot Rafael Nadal - 22 years, one month and three Madrid, who Alcaraz supports, were among those to congratulate him, writing:, external "All madridistas are happy and proud of this brilliant success achieved by one of our own."Former Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos re-shared a photo, external of himself and Alcaraz from 2022 - captioned "The future. And me" - with a new message, simply reading: "Told you".The PGA Tour compared and even raised Alcaraz above one of the golfing greats - 15-time major winner Tiger Woods."Five majors by age 22. Not even Tiger Woods did that," the organisation posted, from the sporting world, Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey made sure to credit Italy's Sinner as well, external, writing: "Thank you Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz for the absolute elite 'mano y mano' [hand and hand] competition. Wow." 'King Carlos the second' With an opening game lasting 12 minutes, it felt inevitable that the final between the two best players in the world would be a the end, Alcaraz and Sinner put everything on the line for five hours and 29 minutes - the longest French Open final in as the fifth set got under way at around 18:45 BST, British tennis player Naomi Broady had to make the executive call to alter her travel plans."I've just changed my Eurostar ticket because I think it is safe to say I'm not going to make the 9pm one," Broady said on BBC Radio 5 was worth it, with an emotional Broady saying afterwards she felt "so lucky that I got to be here to witness this"."It feels like this is absolutely going to be a historic moment of our sport," she British number one Greg Rusedski likened Alcaraz to Hungarian escapologist Harry Houdini, while on TNT Sports, commentator Nick Mullins crowned him "King Carlos the second - the red king in the longest Roland Garros final"."Carlos certainly didn't invent tennis, but he is perfecting it," former British player Mark Petchey added on TNT Sports. The most epic Grand Slam final ever? We've been treated to some incredible spectacles over the years, especially in the 'Big Three' era of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael who is still chasing a standalone record 25th Grand Slam title, is the only one left standing. The 38-year-old great lost in three sets to Sinner in the Paris future of men's tennis undoubtedly looks bright with Alcaraz and Sinner steering the where does their final rank in the all-time list?Tennis has seen some epic Grand Slam battles, including:Nadal v Federer - Wimbledon (2008)Nadal and Federer had to battle it out over four hours and 48 minutes (it was actually nearly seven hours due to rain delays). Nadal held off a thrilling fightback to win in five sets. Djokovic v Nadal - Australian Open (2012)Djokovic outlasted Nadal after five hours and 53 minutes to win his fifth Grand Slam title in a match that finished at 01:37 local v Djokovic - Wimbledon (2013) Andy Murray took three hours and nine minutes to see off Djokovic and ending Britain's 77-year wait for a men's Wimbledon champion. Federer v Djokovic - Wimbledon (2019)Djokovic saved two championship points in Wimbledon's longest singles final, which last four hours and 57 minutes, to beat Federer.
North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Harvey Elliott loves Liverpool but doesn't want to ‘waste years' on sidelines
The 22-year-old was limited to just 18 appearances during the last Premier League season, starting only twice as Liverpool went on to win their 20th title. Elliott was named in Lee Carsley's under-21 squad for the European Championship in Slovakia where England get their campaign under way against Czech Republic on Thursday. The boyhood Reds fan was left in tears during Liverpool's on-pitch title celebrations, which may hint that he sees his future away from Anfield. Asked whether he is considering leaving the club he loves, he replied: 'It's just a situation that me and the team have to have a conversation about because I'm coming into an age now where I'm 22, I'm going to be 23 next season. 'I don't really want to be wasting years on my career because it's a short career. You don't know what's going to happen. 'I need to reflect. I need to see if I'm content in doing what I'm doing and how can I improve as a player because that's the most important thing. 'I just want to improve and be the best possible version of myself. If that's to go somewhere else, then it's a decision that I'm going to have to make and I just need to see what happens. 'Nothing makes me want to leave. I love the club, I love the fans, the team. I support them as well. But most importantly, it's just about what's best for my career.' Elliott's high point of the campaign came during Liverpool's smash-and-grab 1-0 first-leg Champions League victory over Paris St Germain. After facing a barrage of pressure at Parc Des Princes, Elliott climbed off the bench in the 86th minute and swept home the winner just 47 seconds later to put Liverpool in the driving seat. Elliott thought that moment would ignite his season, so he was slightly disappointed to find his subsequent game time limited. Asked if he expected he would get more minutes, he added: 'I thought so. I thought PSG was kind of a high for me, especially with the Premier League game coming up a few days later. 'I thought it was an opportunity for me to get a start and showcase what I can do and just get a nice run out but the boss is the boss. 'He's the man in charge. He's the reason why we've won the league, because of his decisions. His decisions were not to start me, I can't complain.' Elliott was crowned a title winner as Liverpool finished a convincing 10 points in front of second-placed Arsenal. Despite his Premier League medal, Elliott thinks it has been a difficult season for him personally after also suffering a fractured foot in September. He said: 'It's been a bit different. The game time hasn't been as much. It's been a difficult season I would say. It's been a season where, especially in the Premier League, we've dominated and coming into a team that's doing so well. 'After my injury, I think it was always going to be hard but I'd hoped I would have got some more opportunities but football is football.'
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Harvey Elliott loves Liverpool but doesn't want to ‘waste years' on sidelines
The 22-year-old was limited to just 18 appearances during the last Premier League season, starting only twice as Liverpool went on to win their 20th title. Elliott was named in Lee Carsley's under-21 squad for the European Championship in Slovakia where England get their campaign under way against Czech Republic on Thursday. Harvey Elliott featured only 18 times in the Premier League last season (Peter Byrne/PA) The boyhood Reds fan was left in tears during Liverpool's on-pitch title celebrations, which may hint that he sees his future away from Anfield. Asked whether he is considering leaving the club he loves, he replied: 'It's just a situation that me and the team have to have a conversation about because I'm coming into an age now where I'm 22, I'm going to be 23 next season. 'I don't really want to be wasting years on my career because it's a short career. You don't know what's going to happen. 'I need to reflect. I need to see if I'm content in doing what I'm doing and how can I improve as a player because that's the most important thing. 'I just want to improve and be the best possible version of myself. If that's to go somewhere else, then it's a decision that I'm going to have to make and I just need to see what happens. 'Nothing makes me want to leave. I love the club, I love the fans, the team. I support them as well. But most importantly, it's just about what's best for my career.' Elliott's high point of the campaign came during Liverpool's smash-and-grab 1-0 first-leg Champions League victory over Paris St Germain. Elliott scored the winner against Paris St Germain (Adam Davy/PA) After facing a barrage of pressure at Parc Des Princes, Elliott climbed off the bench in the 86th minute and swept home the winner just 47 seconds later to put Liverpool in the driving seat. Elliott thought that moment would ignite his season, so he was slightly disappointed to find his subsequent game time limited. Asked if he expected he would get more minutes, he added: 'I thought so. I thought PSG was kind of a high for me, especially with the Premier League game coming up a few days later. 'I thought it was an opportunity for me to get a start and showcase what I can do and just get a nice run out but the boss is the boss. 'He's the man in charge. He's the reason why we've won the league, because of his decisions. His decisions were not to start me, I can't complain.' Elliott was crowned a title winner as Liverpool finished a convincing 10 points in front of second-placed Arsenal. Liverpool manager Arne Slot, centre right, is sprayed with champagne by Elliott, centre left (Peter Byrne/PA) Despite his Premier League medal, Elliott thinks it has been a difficult season for him personally after also suffering a fractured foot in September. He said: 'It's been a bit different. The game time hasn't been as much. It's been a difficult season I would say. It's been a season where, especially in the Premier League, we've dominated and coming into a team that's doing so well. 'After my injury, I think it was always going to be hard but I'd hoped I would have got some more opportunities but football is football.'
